From Paralysis to Performance Q
Mini Dachshund Rye makes his competitive debut.
Tamara Ashton started her agility journey in February 2019, training her now-11-year-old mini Dachshund Wiskey with Le-Ann Elgie at Diablo Peak Dog Sports (Martinez, Calif.). Now a resident of Star, Idaho, Tamara works with Lexi Peterson of Projekt Performance (Nampa, Idaho) and loves the connection and fun she, Wiskey, and her 8-year-old mini Dachshund Rye share in the ring.
After competing in several USDAA@Home!℠ jumper events with Wiskey, Tamara made her in-person competitive debut with Rye at the Boise Agility Runners & Climbers (BARC) trial in September 2023. “If I told you just over two years ago Rye was paralyzed, you probably wouldn’t believe it,” she wrote in an Instagram post celebrating their runs. “He’s come so far!”
On April 28, 2021, Tamara noticed Rye had a slight hitch in his gait. Within a week, he was unable to use his rear left leg and started losing mobility in his right. Several veterinarians told her that he needed a neurologist and that if he was paralyzed from a back injury, he needed to have surgery within the first 24 hours to have any chance to recover. Faced with Rye’s declining quality of life, Tamara began to look for a chiropractor.
“I couldn’t find a neurologist with any availability for at least six to eight weeks,” she said. “It was hard even finding a chiropractor with immediate availability, and I had to face the fact I might have to put him down. I kept making calls, and finally I found a chiropractor who started seeing him twice a week.”
Tamara traveled three hours round-trip for each of Rye’s appointments. After a few weeks, they added an acupuncturist to Rye’s treatment plan, and within two electroacupuncture sessions, he was walking again.
“It was a scary time for sure,” Tamara said. “Rye is on maintenance now and sees the chiropractor and acupuncturist once a month. He hasn’t been agility training since that first happened, but he’s come with me and Wiskey to class for the past year and a half. As he continued to improve physically, I let him run a little after class.”
As Rye continued to pick up speed and return to competition form, Lexi was the one to suggest that he looked ready to begin trialing again. Tamara entered BARC's trial, and the pair ultimately brought home two blue ribbons in Performance Standard Agility and Gamblers, and a Q in Performance Snooker.
“Wiskey and Rye get super excited when I ask if they want to train,” Tamara said. “I hope others give agility a try and have fun with their dogs; it’s like spending one-on-one time with one of your kids! And I’m happy to share Rye’s story if our journey helps others in the future.”