Peter’s Story
Pistol Pete Knotts
“Peter”
Peter came to live with us March of 2007. I chose him from a litter of 3 because of the white smudge on his nose
(very scientific, I know). When I told the woman from rescue that he was my choice, she said “oh, he’s probably
the worst”. She said he had had very little socialization (I had no idea how big a deal that really was, but I was soon
to find out).
When I first got Peter, he seemed a very distant type of dog. He never really focused on much – except the ball. He seemed
pretty docile and did not wag his tail much. As days turned to weeks, I could see a change in him. He started to show signs of
aggression with one of my other dogs and towards anything he would see on our walks. He also started resource guarding and became
very reactive. He would go into the Border collie crouch and would just stare at whatever was approaching. When they got close,
be it a person, bicycle, or another dog he would just start barking and pulling – like he wanted to attack! This was a total
surprise to me – I had no idea what to do. I asked friends who helped me greatly. They recommended reading materials, showed me
how to watch him for signs he was starting to alert, taught me how to become the “leader” and gave me information to
help keep me calm, so I could help him.
I began to understand how to keep him feeling safe and secure and that would build his confidence. It was a long haul,
but I am grateful for Peter! I have learned so much from him. He has shown me how important it is to establish a good relationship
and how rewarding it can be. Our relationship is one of respect and understanding. It has been an incredible journey, one I am very proud of.
Here is a fun video of Peter & his favorite kitty playing. ‘ Friends ’
In agility, Peter has accomplished more than I could have ever imagined. Listed below are his accomplishments and titles.
UKC: UAG 1
USDAA:ADCH- Agility Dog Champion; ASA- Advanced Standard, SJ- Starters Jumpers, AS- Advanced Snooker, AAD- Advanced Agility Dog; MAD- Master Agility Dog, JM- Jumper Master, SAM- Standard Agility Master, GM- Gambler Master, TMBronze- Tournament Master Bronze, JCHBronze- Jumpers Champion Bronze, SCH- Snooker Champion, SACH- Standard Champion, RM- Relay Master
AKC: NA, NAJ, NF, OA, OAJ, XF, AX, AXJ, MX, MXJ,
MACH 1- 7/24/2009, MACH 2- 3/6/2010, MACH 3- 8/27/2010, MACH 4- 2/4/2011, MACH 5- 9/3/2011, MACH6- 9/3/2012
2009 Border Collie Society of America Specialty Agility Trial: 20" Jump Height, Peter Qualified in 5/6 runs
earning 3- 1st placements, 1- 4th place and 1- non placing Q run
Peter's Rankings in AKC agility
2010- #29 for all breeds
2010- #11 in Border Collies (Invitational Year Qualifying)
2011- #3 in Border Collies (Invitational Year Qualifying)
Peter's Agility Videos
AKC MACH 4 Double Q: 24”Jump Height
Matting: 26”Jump Height
Dirt: 26”Jump Height
Soccer Turf: 26”Jump Height
USDAA Advanced Standard: 22”Jump Height
USDAA Advanced Pairs: 22”Jump Height
USDAA Advanced Snooker: 22”Jump Height
2011 AKC Invitationals (Nobody's Perfect- Peter showed up, Beth... not so much, but a great time was had by all)
2013 AKC Agility Nationals: Although we did not run clean in every run, I felt we were running at the top of our game.
It was so much fun! I'm very proud of Peter!
T2B - Clean; 9 point run, did not count toward Nationals score.
JWW - 409 dogs in 20" division. Peter took 21st place, time: 24.537 (1st place dog 22.890)
Std - Oops; without errors would have finished in top 25!
Hybrid - 409 dogs in 20" division. Peter took 23rd place, time: 28.536 (1st place dog 26.724)
I decided to retire Peter from agility at the age of 8, due to some health concerns.
Beth Knotts, Proprietor • Stevens Point, WI
Ph: 715-344-0173
Email:
