Shawna

Shawna is a Shetland Sheepdog owned by Deb Brink of Animal Inn. Shawna was the first Sheltie to received the Onyx Award on July 8, 1995.

I'd like to thank everyone who voted for my baby-girl for the Flyball Hall of Fame. She's smiling in heaven as we speak (in between her ball chasing up there).... Ijust know it!!!

For those who did not have the opportunity to have met Shawna, Flyball was her life, and to make a long story short... When we went to our first USDAA Nationals at the AstroDome in 1991, she didn't want to do any of the equipment on warm-up night! I remember crying and thinking we were way out of our league!!!! It wasn't until they had a Flyball demo at the other end of the area, THAT'S WHEN SHE CAME ALIVE!!!!! After letting her watch Flyball, she and I went back and took first place in Snookers (a game I was not even familiar with) and then to follow up with first over-all in the mini division in the finals.

Associating agility with Flyball was one of the luckiest things that ever happened to us as a team! She followed up in 1993 with first again, the only mini, so far to accomplish this. But again, her heart was always dedicated to Flyball first and I will always continue to credit Flyball for her agility success!!!!

Shawna began Flyball back in 1987 when a small height dog was hardly seen. Back then, a 6.1 on a Sure-Shot was mighty good! Later with the huge ramp-like boxes she could get in the mid 5's. That too was impressive. Obviously today, with the state-of-the-art boxes and the better training techniques, she would not hold a candle to some of our awesome height dogs...but she always had the 'FLYBALL HEART'!!!!! She also allowed a lot of other dogs the opportunity to play and earn points toward their ONYX, when perhaps that wouldn't even have been a consideration, if they had to jump their height. In all the years of Shawna's Flyball career being the only height dog, never once did she let her team down. That to me, just proves how much Flyball meant to her.

Shawna died in my arms last Christmas (1996) night, so this will be a challenging holiday along with the loss of my mom (my best friend), my grandma and preparing for the loss of another best friend... my Lab, Buzz-A-Roo. So in some way this honor couldn't have come at a better time.

• Go back to Onyx Award winners.
• Go back to NAFA Hall of Fame.