From November 18th through the 20th we were able to be at the 2011 Metro Detroit Pet Expo with our training group, FUSS U.  It was, as always, a phenomenal experience.  We were able to educate the public on breed specific legislation and how it is targeting breeds other than the Doberman, German Shepherd, Rottweiler and pit bull type dogs and provided demonstrations on obedience, weight pull and Schutzhund.

The crowds that we drew during the demonstrations were massive.  If I’d picked any time to get stage fright, that would have absolutely been the time for me.  Working with the dogs, though, allowed me to remain focused on them since I am their whole world, I allow them to become mine in our demos (and when we train and trial).

After we did our demos we allowed folks to come in and try out weight pull and get some training advice on issues they were having with their canine companions.  I think the weight pull was the biggest hit (but I’m partial since I absolutely adore weight pull).  It was amazing how many ‘non-traditional’ breeds came out to give it a try and it was incredibly encouraging to see folks willing to get involved and DO things with their dogs and watching their faces light up when we told them their dog does NOT have to be intact to do these things.  We gave them organization options for the various sports (UKC, APA, IWPA, NWDA, C-WAGS, etc.) that didn’t care if their dogs were mutts or purebred.

Our dogs (GSDs, APBTs, American Bulldogs Presas and Malinois, oh, my!) had an absolute blast getting to socialize with hundreds of new people and do their thing and we all can’t wait to do it again next year to show people the joy of training and working with their dogs and fighting the good fight against breed specific legislation.