Have you ever wondered where the name Flash Go. came from? Well, let us tell you about a very special dog named The Flash Gordon. In 2015 Instructor Meg, and her husband brought home a little Australian Shepherd puppy with her having the goal to compete at an international level of agility. She quickly began classes and foundational obedience, and agility training together. As he grew so did his drive, excitement, and focus for the sport and for playing with her. All of the work focused on playing and relationship building helped Meg and Gordon develop a truly incredible connection that continued to increase with every training session. They continued to train hard, and eventually when he was old enough they attended his first agility competition. The nerves were high, but once they started running together everything around them disappeared, it was just Gord and Meg against the world. They came home with multiple first place ribbons and even some qualifiers for nationals. Gord and Meg continued to train and compete, leading them to running international level courses and he was eventually ranked the 4th Australian Shepherd in Canada. They were having so much fun, and continued to wonder what the future had in store for the two of them. All of their dreams came crashing down when Gordon was suddenly diagnosed with very aggressive cancer at the age of only 3. He was taken to an oncologist and everyone was absolutely shocked to hear just how riddled with cancer his body was. This dog that was playing frisbee earlier that day was now a dog that had lymphoma, secondary leukaemia, and masses in his chest, liver, and kidneys. It was beyond a shadow of a doubt a terminal case. Meg and her husband were going to lose the goofy, driven, lively, affectionate dog who made their house feel full. They decided to move forward with chemotherapy to try and get as much time as possible with him. Thanks to his incredible veterinarians he had an extra four amazing months. The chemotherapy worked so well for him that he was able to continue to do agility, play lots of frisbee, and get so much love. Eventually the chemotherapy couldn't keep up with the aggressive nature of his cancer. That extra time was amazing and everyone he surrounded was so grateful for it. On April 12th, 2019 we all said goodbye to the sweet boy. It was three days before his 4th birthday. It was one of the absolute hardest days. Gordon was amazing. He was so full of love and provided everyone with endless laughs. He challenged Meg and pushed her buttons at times, but he always knew how to pick her back up. He taught many people patience and perseverance, and to have courage in uncertain moments. Not only did Gordon teach Meg, but over the years he taught many others. Gordon was a phenomenal teaching dog, he was run in agility by almost every single member of the Flash Go. team, and even some of our students. He was amazing at helping the novice handlers learn skills more simply by handling an experienced dog. He was so very happy to play with anyone who would play with him. Meg, her husband, and everyone that met Gordon are unbelievably grateful to have had him in their lives, even if it wasn’t for long. He was an absolutely remarkable dog with the brightest spirit and biggest heart.

That is why we are Flash Go. Dog Training.