Personal Narrative Essay: The Colorado State Fair Bandit

“Our Graduate Novice B Veteran, obedience class champion is number 306 from Adams County: Samantha and Bandit. Give them a round of applause!” I could not control my excitement. For good measure, I even looked to my mother at my side, whose gleaming smile decorated her face from ear to ear, and asked her for a quick sign of reassurance. She cultivated an exuberant nod, giving me the confidence I needed to walk to the stage. With leash in hand, my dog Bandit and I bolted to the front of the stage, dumbfounded by the immense honor. After nine years of attending the Colorado State Fair Dog Trials as a dynamic duo, ending our showing days together as a State Fair obedience champion resembled the bittersweet Bandit deserved as he entered retirement. His loyalty, determination, and enthusiasm allowed him to overcome every obstacle in his way, and on this day, he overcame the toughest obstacles of all: the high jump and the broad jump.

My family adopted Bandit, an Australian Shepherd/Sheltie mix, when he turned nine weeks old. Inbred and abused, my family knew raising Bandit posed a difficult task, but we willingly took on the challenge. He had a unique look about him. His long slender nose, his tricolor coat, and his unusual ears with one standing straight up and the other slouching to the front made him a

I didn’t need to win, I needed to have patience and trust my dog. Bandit’s kind heart, loyalty, and genuine personality was the real winner. Every move he made, he did so with extraordinary confidence and pizzazz. As a puppy, Bandit dog paddled into my heart and that is where he remains. He is the most incredible four legged friend to walk into my life. Even in his retirement, Bandit never ceases to amaze me with his sassy attitude and hearty spirit. To this day, I have never lost the feeling that if you have faith, good things will come in due