AGI Blitzen's Will Catch Ya Later O-TG-N, O-TN-N, CL1-R, CL2-F, CL2-S, CL1-H, Rally Level 1, CGC
- call name - 'Flipside'

 

  Meet Flipside.  Our second youngest dog - and another up and comer in performance sports.  At just over 3 years of age, Flipside can only be described as having the personality of the young people you see pro skateboarding or competing in motor cross sports.  Games at high speed are Flipside's favorite.  He has a 'no fear' mentality and believes firmly he can leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Flipside is as unique as his markings.  Commonly referred to as a 'split face', Flip always finds a unique way of doing things in Border Collie style and creativity.

In addition to his developing talent in the agility ring, one of Flipside's greatest attributes at home is his 'self appointment' as our Papillon's best buddy.  The two are amazingly bonded and for all of Flip's drive and speed and physical ability, nothing is more endearing than seeing him restrain all of that power to play with a delicately boned, small dog with all the gentleness of a big brother watching over the baby.
Case in point, you can see Flip as he played "Life Guard" over our puppy pool when our Papillon decided to take his first adventure into water.  Flip stood over and uncharacteristically just 'watched' the pup in the water.  Please know, you typically have to 'beg' Flip to get out of 'his' pool - he loves to spend hours just splashing in the water regardless of the weather and why he is our first 'Dock Diving' Border Collie - you can see Flip in competition off a dock below.

In agility, Flip is learning to now balance his speed with maturity and grace versus pummeling a course with speed-speed-speed.  This is proving to be a challenging lesson for this fine youngster - but one he's learning well.  Flip wants to do whatever you ask him to do and wants to do at such high speeds - it's sometimes difficult to maintain composure.  Skill comes with age, experience and practice.  Patience may not yet be a strong suit for Flipside, like any youngster on two legs, you can imagine how he sometimes disagrees with taking your time to do things when you can go, go, go, go!
Of all the games Flipside loves to play - nothing gears up this uniquely modern Border Collie much more than a fairly recent sport called 'Dock Diving'.  Traditionally a 'hunting breed' sport, Dock Diving requires a dog to leap at a distance from a dock into water to retrieve and article.  Below are some shots from Flipside's first adventure into the sport and why we now have nicknamed him,
"Big Air Flip".
  

                         

Flip at 6 months old, could he have been cuter?  But this is Flip's typical expression even today.  The face that says, "What?  What are we doing?  Something fun right?  Cool."