CELEBRATION, Fla. — Julie Daniels and Spring had taken home medals the last four years and had hopes of winning another before Spring retires from international competition.

"Not that she wants to quit," Daniels said. "She loves it. But she just turned 10 and it's time to slow down a little bit."

It was not to be. Spring did not medal in the Large Agility category of the Sporting Dogs competition.

Still, it's been a great ride for the pair - their sixth and final appearance at the ESPN Great Outdoor Games.

"Running with Spring is like going to the start line in my pajamas and slippers-it's that comfortable," Daniels said.

The handler and her dog have been competing together for eight years in relay races, steeplechases and agility competitions as far away as Moscow. In the final round of the inaugural Great Outdoor Games in 2000, Spring had a five second lead when an injury forced her to drop out. The next year the team came back to win gold.

"Every dog here is a great athlete," said Daniels, who owns White Mountain Agility School in New Hampshire. What makes this pair successful is the intensity of their trust — that close bond that every dog-handler team strives toward. "We've been building it her whole life."

Spring and Daniels placed third in Thursday's qualifier, with a time of 41 seconds and no faults.

Just before their run, Daniels jumped up and down, twisting side to side, talking to her dog while Spring barked back. Seconds after the clock started, the dog nailed the course's most challenging maneuver; a tight angle between the fourth jump and the first pole of the weave had caused nearly every other team to fault.

One of the larger dogs among her competitors, Spring's size (22 inches) and long stride put her at a disadvantage on tight courses.

"She will run a bit stilted up because she has to stay collected." But as Spring demonstrated Thursday, "She can get the job done no matter what," Daniels said.

She expects Spring to continue competing, but only in lower-level events. Mostly, she'll be hiking, playing soccer and herding Daniels' cat, she said.

The Games will be aired on ESPN and ABC Sports July 13-17, 2005. Click here for the broadcast schedule.

This article on the Great Outdoor Games 2005 Web site is brought to you by the editors of Field & Stream and Outdoor Life.
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