PALOMINE LINES: COMPANION DOG SPORT – AKC TRACKING
At the end of 2007, I started AKC tracking training with two friends in Silver City, New Mexico. I was using paracord for a tracking line and although serviceable, it didn’t provide me with some things I needed, but did provide me with some things I didn’t want. After laying tracks in the high desert, it became apparent that the high desert was not compatible with paracord. Not only did I get thorns embedded in my line, but also in my hands. After several home surgeries performed by my husband with his trusty pocketknife (who knows where it had been), and a pair of tweezers, I decided I needed something a bit more practical. We began our search for better line material.
In our search for the perfect line, we found BioThane, a PVC-coated webbing. We purchased our first 100-ft roll of line material. Colors were not available at the time; our choices were black or brown. We then had to decide how we were going to make it. Enter the AKC tracking rules and regulations, available online. I highly recommend reading this fascinating and educational pamphlet. https://AKC.org/rules/.
I chose to make a 40-ft line although in hindsight it would have been easier to learn line handling on a 25-ft line. I also needed to be able to determine how far away I was from my tracking dog. I was too inexperienced to judge distances. The rules stated I had to follow him at 20 feet or more during a test for a Tracking Dog (TD) title. After discarding ideas of tying a knot in the line, applying tape, or tying a bit of string at the 20-ft mark, I came up with a suitable idea that would be permanent and non-slipping: Why not place a rivet at the 20-ft mark? My problem was solved. Not only could I see the rivet if I looked closely, but I could FEEL it as it passed through my hands! I was able to pay attention to my dog’s behavior without fear of being too close to him.
After having the epiphany for the 20-ft distance marker, I later added a distance marker at 10-ft for the TDU (Tracking Dog Urban) and VST (Variable Surface Tracking) titles. The resulting BioThane tracking line I created and developed was the original Palomine Line.
The original Palomine Line was used for the rest of my dog’s life—we tracked for 15 more years! We tracked in fair weather or foul. Tracking doesn’t stop when it’s raining, or snowing, or so foggy I could hardly see my dog at the end of the line. Change of terrain—from high desert to piney forest, and grassy meadows and hard scrabble in between—was normal in and around the Gila National Forest. Thorn-free and easily cleaned, the BioThane tracking line was always in my vehicle, and if I was in it, so was my dog, ready for the next track.