WELCOME

The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too. --Samuel Butler

Dogs are the most loyal of creatures. They join your family, and offer unbounded love and unquestioned devotion and ask no more than some occasional attention and a warm bed and full tummy. Mark Twain once said heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.

Carpe Pilam is an extended family of families, canine and sapien combined. Brought together, like most dog sport groups, out a desire to play with our dogs somewhere besides the back yard and share with each other the joys and tears that go with trying to love an animal that embodies love itself.

At agility, shepherding, flyball and frisbee competitions, seven families found themselves meeting time and time again, and a bond grew between these people and dogs that was more than just the spirit of team competition and athletic performance. The families began to care for each other and work together outside of the dog sports. From the dogs who love us so and ask so little, they, in their patient time, taught us to accept each other without reservation as who we are, and in time, with every cocked head and raised ears accompanied by a thumping of a wagging tail, the canines made us sapiens a loyal pack. A family group, inside and outside the sports. A knitted, devoted pack, made stronger by our diverse traits working in concert, and inexorably tempered by powers greater than the individual achievements. The pack succeeds or fails as a family. No pack member is ever alone, none are ever left behind.

Kristie is the Alpha female of our pack, our leader with the heart of Saint Bernard and the tenacity of a Jack Russell. Each other member brings something important and different to the pack, and we utilize our skills to continuously amaze even ourselves at what we can achieve.

Carpe Pilam is to seize the ball, the motto of our flyball dog team. But from flyball track to fencing the pastures; from lambing ewes to Sundays in the park chasing frisbee; from 2 teams giddy with the rush of hard-won blue ribbons to the tears of repairing the devastation of a flooded farm, Carpe Pilam is a family.

Cave gregem fidelem!

(Fear the loyal pack!)

Revised: March 6, 2009

Carpe Pilam practices flyball in Stokesdale on most weekends. We are open to new members and folks interested in attending practices. For more information email Kristie.