We have been lucky to have many wonderful dogs in our lives. I thought 'introducing' a few of them, going back just to the ones when I became involved in tracking, might be appropriate.
Early on, there were two titles available with the Canadian Kennel Club - the TD (Tracking Dog) and the TDX (Tracking Dog Excellent). Our first two (tracking) dogs, Spook and Maggie, earned their titles ahead of urban tracking coming along in Canada.
The photo above shows Spook and I just moving out from the scent pad, on a demonstration track we did at a tracking seminar/workshop. At this time, I had an eye problem and was unable to keep my eyes open in sunlight. I had my eyes closed for the complete track, a TD type track. I had every confidence in Spook, who was a steady worker, and totally trusted her. 
Spook earned her Tracking Dog Excellent Title under esteemed judge, Eileen Newman at the Cross Country Tracking Club trial in Southern Ontario. The final third of her track was in a recently manured field...pretty stinky! When Spook earned her TD previously, our judge told me later to trust my dog; I almost hadn't on one corner. That was something I never forgot and never will. Trust and Patience - so important in tracking...
Spook was the greatest dog, my best friend for many years. She was also an amazing St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog. When Spook earned her TDX, three local newspapers covered her story, as tracking was new in this area of Northeastern Ontario. Since then, many of my students have earned titles, and two clubs in Northeastern Ontario are offering tracking trials. Spook earned her TDX many years before CKC accepted Urban Titles in the tracking program, so we continued to track just for fun and when asked to do demos. Spook continued to teach me something new about tracking for many more years and because of her, tracking has become a huge part of my life. I owe her so much.
