Spot Check passed a minor milestone last night while I was sleeping: 10,000 hits.

When I began Spot Check last March, I viewed its purpose as twofold. First, it was an outlet for years of pent-up (or only privately shared) opinion on dogs and dog training. Second, it was a commitment to write, which is something I dimly recalled doing a bit of in school and shortly afterward, and had always meant to resume but never had.

But it is more that that. It has put me in touch with other trainers, both professional and amateur, and provided a forum for friendly debate and open exchange among skilled and thoughtful people. In some cases, your comments have challenged my opinions and caused me to re-evaluate what I think I know.

That was really my hope all along.

This will also be my 50th post. Not bad for a wife and mother of two with a kennel to run. Granted, not all of them were gems, but nobody’s perfect.

I thank everyone who’s taken the trouble to peek at this blog over the past ten months. And as always, I look forward to your comments.