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Plain Ole Krackers of Tejas
ADCH, FDCH, UCD, ASCA-CDX, AKC-CD, OA, EAC, CGC
ASCA Hall of Fame Dam
First Aussie to earn the USDAA ADCH
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My heart came to me on Valentines Day
in 1988. Krackers was a fuzzy little red merle, sorta resembling the color of a
graham cracker. At four months of age, we started
obedience training. At 8 months of ages, she finished her ASCA CD with 5 High in
Trials. Before she was 18 months old, we finished the UKC CD
with a score of 194 plus.
At age 3, we earned a NADAC Novice Agility title (NAC), CGC, and a USDAA Agility
Dog title (AD). During the next few years, she earned her FDCH (Flyball Dog
Championship), NADAC Elite Agility title (EAC) and her USDAA ADCH (Agility Dog
Championship). At the age of 6 years, she finished
her AKC-CD High in Trial. With my daughter's handling (she was only 14), she
completed her AKC Open Agility title (OA) at the age of
10. Also at age 10, she got her first and only started cattle leg, which she did
in 4 1/2 minutes with a first place! She also finished
in the top 10 (#8) in the AKC International Class at the Astro-World Series of
Dog Shows! She started and earned her ASCA CDX. With all
those accomplishments, she managaed to have five litters and was also off 1 1/2
years with a serious leg injury.
She's been a babysitter to livestock and children. She kept my ex-husband from
being charged by an angry mama cow and rescued two older dogs and a pup from the
river below our house (not to mention it was a 30+ foot drop off where she had
to rescue them).
At age 11, we rescued a blind calf who had fallen off a cliff at the river and
had been on a ledge for several days. Krackers tried twice to retrieve her across the
swift water. So the next attempt was in a Jon boat. We hit a rock in the water
and broke the prop. After reaching the other side of the
river through rough current, good ole faithful (Krackers) swam back across the
river to retrieve tools to repair the prop from a ranch
hand who couldn't swim. With tools clenched tight in her mouth, Krackers swam
back across to us. We repaired the prop and went on
down the river where we roped the calf and swam her across the river.
Krackers was the ruler of our home with man and animal. She let no one step out
of line to do harm to anyone or anything. We could (and did) trust her with our lives.
Her favorite place, besides the water trough, was in the sun room on the wood
chest in the corner where she could view her kingdom and
enjoy the sun. She was the queen of the four wheeler. She had clean up detail in
the pastures and around the house. She carried feed
buckets, lead ropes, water hoses, and anything else asked of her.
She was the epitome of the Australian Shepherd!
I will miss her forever. SHE WAS MY HEART!
-Donna Arnold, 1998
Krackers continues to live on in her
children and grandchildren. Every puppy born in this house, whether
a
descendant or not, is welcomed into this world and guided
through life by her spirit.
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