Sheltie) who was plucked from a life of misery and obscurity by Central Illinois Sheltie Rescue. In dog years he is 350.ĭusty is a cryptic-blue Shetland sheepdog (a.k.a. He divides his time between Chicago and Siena, Italy.
He's also written short stories, literary criticism, and works for the stage. Robert Rodi is the owner of three dogs and the author of seven novels. For more information visit: or About the Author The book has been called "Best in Show meets Marley and Me in the hilarious (mis)adventures of an unlikely duo competing for glory on the pro dog circuit."ĭogged Pursuit can be purchased wherever books are sold, including, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and your local independent bookstore. Rodi also describes the loving bond between one man and his bug-eyed dog. Dogged Pursuit follows their year-long journey, their victories and failures and the many hilarious characters they met along the way. Not one to take direction, Dusty was easier to laugh at than to train, Robert says.ĭespite the odds against them, Robert was utterly determined to tame his unlikely partner and take him all the way to the pros. His dog's scrawny build and skittish personality make him an unnatural competitor.
Dusty was a high-strung, totally bug-eyed Sheltie.
Suddenly, the city-dweller is driving around the Midwest, spending his free time training Dusty, and learning the lingo from pro-circuit "lifers." As if he wasn't enough of an odd-man out in this crowd, Robert was paired with the least likely canine competitor. Unlike other dog shows, which get national media coverage, the Agility Competition is popular with a different crowd, one which Robert calls "the rural set." Robert admits he became obsessed by this competitive subculture. They found themselves completely out of place at The Canine Agility Competitions, as they traveled between small Midwest towns in the quest for gold. Robert is an intellectual urbanite who favors fine wine and Italian literature to SUVs and suburban sprawl, and Dusty is a mangy rescue dog. Robert and Dusty discovered that taking home ribbons requires a focused handler and a cooperative dog. A cousin to the popular best-in-breed show, agility competitions resemble doggie boot camp: dogs scamper across teeter-totters, jump tires, and scoot down tunnels-without leashed guidance from a human.
0 kommentar(er)
