My thumbs aren't up to typing out all my thoughts but regarding this bit:
Try showing up with not-a-herder...it's like being invisible
When I ran a friend's BC a couple times a while back, I had all these people suddenly introducing themselves and chatting with me and asking if I'd been doing agility long. It was SO HARD to not say, "Ummm yeah I'm not new and my retriever and I have beaten you. Many times." They just don't even notice, or automatically assume it's a fluke.
I like BCs as a breed and I like a lot of people who own BCs but sometimes, some of them...
*grumble grumble*
Yep. Me and Pan have had lessons with quite a few international level competitors, and all have told me that if I want to compete at that level, to get a BC.
When I ran a friend's BC a couple times a while back, I had all these people suddenly introducing themselves and chatting with me and asking if I'd been doing agility long. It was SO HARD to not say, "Ummm yeah I'm not new and my retriever and I have beaten you. Many times." They just don't even notice, or automatically assume it's a fluke.
I like BCs as a breed and I like a lot of people who own BCs but sometimes, some of them...
*grumble grumble*