“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” ~ President Thomas Jefferson
Bless our soldiers and veterans. Without them, the virtues of freedom and liberty wouldn’t exist because all gave some and some gave all.
It’s seriously hard to believe that my sweet little monster has finally hit the double digits but it’s true. While I struggle to face the reality that my heart and soul, my partner in crime and the biggest reason I’m so enamored with the American Pit Bull Terrier is getting up there in age, she seems to not have bothered to notice – unless, of course, I’ve missed her evening goodie before bedtime. We just can’t have that! Imagining her as a “senior” dog is really hard to believe when she continues to run the house with an iron paw and gallops around the yard like a yearling colt. This gal has seriously got everyone she meets wrapped around her little paw and the older she gets the better she gets at accomplishing it.
Later today (after I actually go to bed), we’ll be hitting all of her favorite places to pick out some extra special goodies. She’ll get to pick out as many toys as she could possibly desire and we will spend the day together with a trip to a fast food restaurant for some junk food and some ice cream to follow. She seems to know because she’s been badgering me even more today than usual.
I truly owe it to Luna, though, to celebrate her for the absolutely amazing dog that she is. She’s truly been that once in a million dog. Never did I expect to have this absolutely beautiful and incredibly intelligent little beast in my home. There are many days I don’t feel I deserve her kindness and unerring loyalty. She’s been there with us through thick and thin and given us the hope that only the love of a loyal dog can give. To imagine my life without her (or any of my other beloved dogs) would be to rip my soul from my body and cease to exist because it is far too painful to even consider.
Thank you, my love. I hope to spend many, many more years with you. While I thought you needed me, the reality of the matter is I needed you even more. Happy 10th birthday, Luna-girl. Here’s to eternity. I love you.
Okay, so it’s supposed to be wordless (and I’ve been slacking on these too!) but I can’t help but brag. Ryker with not one but two Champion of Champions trophies after a year off from showing. Go, Ryker, go!
Scent detection has been around for years with detection, search and Schutzhund work but the sport of canine nose work is a fairly recent activity that is sweeping across the canine sport circles like a wildfire. I remember when a friend who was in the PNW had mentioned about it and how fun it was. I was very, very interested since we’d tinkered around with various aspects of scent detection from the inexperienced side around home and the dogs loved it. Sadly, there weren’t too many options open to me here in Michigan that gave us the opportunity to learn this phenomenal activity – until recently.
My friend Missi, one of the co-founders of the phenomenal rescue group Detroit Bully Corps., had mentioned she was going to start taking a nose work class pretty local to her. I, of course, had to know the details because the closest thing I’d found was in Lansing and that was well over an hour away from us and not exactly feasible for extended classes (though I had still contemplated it because I wanted to do the sport pretty badly) so she spilled the details for me.
The Intro to Nosework class was to start on May 2nd through Pawzitively Positive, LLC. The cost was only a hundred dollars for six weeks of fun and learning and a chance to do something I’d wanted to do for quite some time. I was so in and rushed to find out by emailing Terry Jacobus, the instructor/owner, to find out if there were openings in her class to which she gave me the answer I was hoping for – ‘yes!’. The rest is obviously history.
We’re on week two of class right now – well, just finished it last Thursday. It’s been one of the most wonderful classes Ryker and I have done together (since he tends to be my guinea pig for learning new things in regard to dog sports) in a long while. Ryker’s doing incredibly well and absolutely loving every moment – well, I hope so anyway since he practically drags me to the search area every time it’s our turn – and I’m having a pretty good time too since Terry is positively wonderful. (I tend to get REALLY nervous and hate feeling like I’m looking idiotic, even in a class so this is a super good thing!)
This coming Thursday, we will hopefully graduate into closed boxes (no scent other than hot dogs just yet!) since Ryker is zooming through even very hard box placements with the open boxes. Once we do that and get that down, we’ll get to start adding scents like anise, lemongrass, clove, birch, etc. to the menu after that and who knows where we’ll go after that or what games or tasks he can learn after that with ordinary smells, etc. outside of competitions through groups like C-WAGS, K9 Nose Work, possibly even through the UKC as a potential recognized sport (or I’ve at least heard rumors it may be happening there – can anyone confirm?) and many other organizations.
That being said, this activity is a great bonding experience and the Roo and I are having a grand time and I personally look forward to Thursday evenings and training class. (If you’re in the area, I highly recommend Terry and Pawzitively Positive for her force free training methods and she does way more than just nose work too!) The possibilities are endless and I can’t wait to see where we’ll go as a team and once I get the hang of it would like to start introducing the rest of the pack into this phenomenal sport.
Ryker in week two of class.
I’m sitting at my laptop after a pretty darn successful weekend at the Cinco de Mayo NWDA pulls that were held this weekend locally to me and thinking about how far I’ve come as a handler, a trainer and a dog owner. I brag all the time on Ryker and all of his successes but in reality, he was the easiest dog in the planet. He’s biddable and willing to work. He’d do anything just to do things with me. He and Luna spoiled me on trainability and success. Anything I’ve asked them to do, they’ve done and done it well. Then Lyric came into the picture.
Lyric wasn’t that easy dog I was used to. She was stubborn and incredibly determined to do things her way when she wanted to do them. Sure, she loves me and wants to be with me (well, up my ass would probably be the best definition) but as far as doing something because I asked if it involved not running at warp speed 24/7? Forget it. She’s a true free spirit and she utterly loathes being restricted. (It’s pet peeve numero uno in her book. Seriously! She told me so.)
She loves flirtpoling, lure coursing, agility (when I’ve tinkered with her on obstacles) and things that allow her to do her thing without being hindered by a leash or strict rules – especially if they involve food or a rousing game of tug. Those are fun for her…weight pull, yeah, it definitely wasn’t her thing. At least it wasn’t initially.
I pushed her in weight pull. I figured if I worked her like I did Ryker and Luna, I could convince her that it wasn’t so bad. I used the same methodology, the same training, the same everything and I did it so incredibly wrong with her. I seriously almost ruined her for weight pull (and many other sports too!) by forcing her to do something she wasn’t comfortable with and when she wasn’t ready in a manner that wasn’t conducive to her learning. Yeah, she got her United Weight Puller in UKC but she wasn’t happy while she was doing it (and I have the photographs of the looks of death I got for it as a reminder too!) and it bothered the living daylights out of me because I detest doing something that upsets the bond I have with my dogs. They’re my buddies and their happiness and wellbeing is paramount in my book.
I put her in pseudo retirement from weight pull after she earned her basic weight pull title in UKC. I told myself that she’d never make a weight pull dog. It wasn’t her “thing” and we’d find something else that she loved to do or keep doing things she loved – like showing. (Seriously, this dog has a thing for flaunting her little terrorist self in a “look at me” fashion and it helped in finishing with a Best of Opposite in ADBA to earn her Championship!)
Unfortunately, Mother Nature nixed our show career in ADBA when she developed pyometra. It sucked immensely. All the hopes and dreams of getting her Grand Championship in ADBA went poof since they don’t offer altered classes like they do in UKC. I seriously had to sit down and ask myself what we were going to do to keep her zero to warp speed brain mentally stimulated and allow her to shine when she couldn’t do the one thing that she loved more than the flirtpole or fighting me on a tug. I had a LOT of time to think since she had to heal from her emergency spay.
After months of healing (and driving me batty!), I decided to go back and give weight pull a try. I figured it wouldn’t hurt and we could do some light drag work once she was into it to keep her in good physical shape and tire her out a little so she wasn’t so bounce-off-the-walls-and-drive-mom-nuts kinda crazy. We went back to the beginning.
I came to realize that this was where the real start to our problems had happened. It was the part where I, as a handler and trainer, had failed her. I had compared her to my two super stars and their distinct “Throw another at me!” fashion. I realized then that I had to go slower with her or I’d mess up again and likely do irrevocable damage to her as a sporting dog. I couldn’t and I wouldn’t let myself fail her again and so we quite literally started from the puppy basics – the introduction and positive association with the harness.
It’s been a slow couple of years. We’ve been doing drag weights and a few competitive pulls here and there but nothing really big. We’d pull one weight and handler withdraw and then work her through one more just for practice. I never let her fail. The second she started to get frustrated, I had them push the cart. I never wanted her to think she couldn’t do it. I had to let her think she was free and the almighty queen of the track. It worked. I couldn’t believe it, but it worked. Lyric had finally decided weight pull wasn’t the bane of all things and she stopped looking like she was a poster child for the ASPCA commercials.
This weekend she proved it to me again that she was still the little hellcat that could. That she was willing and ready to do things if I showed her that they were pretty darn awesome and that she was pretty darn awesome for doing them. She’s worked past all the hang ups I’ve had and she keeps improving each and every time I put her on the track and the best part? She wags her tail the WHOLE time. Today was no exception when she broke her personal best not once but twice – first in the morning with 1,374 pounds for 35.23 times her body weight of 39 pounds (and taking a 2nd place with four dogs in the class!) and then once again in the afternoon by pulling the next increment up of 1,442 pounds for 36.97 times her body weight and another second place! (We’re a LONG way from being competition for the first place dog – Team Puggle – in that class, so it was a good spot!)
I’m still in shock, honestly. Had I been asked if I thought she’d come this far years ago I would have A) looked at you like you were crazy and B) told you it would never happen in a million years. I was dead wrong and it took a lesson in humility, a life changing situation and a phenomenally wonderful dog to show me that sometimes change is the best thing to happen and that starting over isn’t so bad. It also reminded me, once more, that you don’t get the dog you necessarily always want but you always get the dog you need.
Thank you for proving me wrong, Lyric. I am so unbelievably proud of how far you’ve come and so excited to see how far we’ll go.
It’s hard to believe I’ve not take a dog event road trip in a little over a year. I’ve stayed local for the most part because of work and personal obligations but finally had a chance to take some much deserve time off and go to a faraway place known as Waynesville, North Carolina for the Palmetto State APBT Club show with my buddy, Ryker. It was three days of fun with one of my best buddies doing what we do best – working together and having a good time.
We went down hoping to try and get those last 18 points we need to finish Ryker’s ADBA conformation Championship. (Because the last points are a PAIN to chase down – especially if one has a brindle dog. They do NOT show conditioning well at ALL!) We managed to eek out three with a third place under honorable judge Frank Rocca out of a class of ELEVEN(!!!!!!) 5 and Over Males. It was insane. I was constantly trying to move Ryker so he had the best vantage since he was more preoccupied on being a brat. It was insane.
Quite honestly, I almost died and went to heaven when the judge came over with the 3rd place ribbon. To be picked among so many nice older boys still vying for the same thing we were. It truly was an honor and I’m pleased to have placed in the top three and believe many of those dogs deserved the honors of being in the top three as well.
We also puttered around in weight pull that weekend for Saturday and squeaked another 3rd place there before pulling him out to go show in the first show. He pulled 1,300# that weekend on a very hard track with the top pulling dog (who weighed 82#) pulling just about 3,400# and six dogs in his class (45-55# males). I was pleased with what we did. Should I have kept him in longer and forfeited my conformation entries? Maybe but I didn’t really feel like pushing for much more beyond that. We’ll get our Ace in due time. He’s still a young man after all. It’s not like he’s turning seven years in July. (Which he actually is, but try telling him that!)
Overall, I had a good time. It was nice to return to the ADBA circuit. It gave me a chance to see old friends and meet some new ones. I got to spend time with my Ryker-man and work that bond that we’ve been so blessed to have for all of these years. The break did us good. It gave me a new perspective and reminded that at the end of the day, I still have my wonderful boy and win or lose, he’s still #1 with me and we will just have to put the work in to show everyone else how awesome I already know he is. Now…to get those last darn points!
With spring finally starting to actually happen, the world is starting to blossom and the urge to get out and do things is finally starting to creep in and set fast. Winter is always a tough season for me (and the dogs) because I have to drag myself out to do things because I hate the extreme colds it produces. Yeah, we weight pulls in the winter months but it was indoors but that was pretty much the extent of it. (No snow pulls this year for us! Brr!)
My husband and I have been looking into doing other things with the dogs outside of competing. Don’t get me wrong, I still have my competitive “We can do this!” spirit with the dogs but I’m settling down a bit and just want to spend time with the dogs and do things in time. That is what brought us to finally biting the bullet and looking into joining K9 Explorers. It’s a really awesome group of people who get together just to DO things with their dogs and even help the community with different projects too. I’d been following them for a couple of years but it really never kicked that it was something I wanted to do seriously until this year when I got the guts to as the founder, Heather, if I could tag along on one of the hikes.
We had a blast. The dogs were tired. We were tired. We got to hang out with like-minded people who thoroughly enjoyed their dogs and their company. These were people who enjoyed doing things with their dogs for the heck of it. Sure, there were a few dog sport competitors in the group like Abby and Therese from Team Puggle (seriously awesome team, by the way!) but for the most part it these were folks who just genuinely loved their pets. It was such a wonderful treat that we were hooked.
We’ve decided to make the plunge to join and enjoy ourselves and help out in the club to make sure things run smoothly. It’s going to be a blast earning badges like we could have in Dog Scouts of America since they wouldn’t accept a couple of our dogs for not being particularly doggie friendly, helping the community and enjoying doing things with the dogs outside of the normal competitive setting and I highly recommend the group for anyone in the Metro Detroit area too! (If you’re interested, you can find out more about them here.)
The topic of breed specific legislation and bully breeds is an incredibly hot button topic and it has a vast array of thought processes from the overzealous “can do no wrong” breed advocates to those who are more realistic about the history and temperament on this breed. My friend Liz recently wrote an article titled “Advocacy As I See It” on her blog after having another breed advocate accuse her of supporting breed specific legislation because she is incredibly realistic about the breed – especially since she shares it with one very special dog named Inara who has had some ups and downs becoming a model doggie citizen in a state that was known for its horrendous BSL (that was recently repealed! Yay!).
Now, I’ve been involved in the breed on a major level after my husband and I brought home our very first dog as a budding young couple in 2003. My first taste of hatred actually came from my own mother who told me to take my 4 ½ week old “baby killer” out of her house and get rid of her. (Guess what didn’t happen?) I was shocked and furious. How dare she talk about my baby girl like that?! It didn’t take long for her to change her tune and now she brags about her “grand dog” to anyone who will listen.
Unfortunately, though, she’s not the only one who has thought like that. Some have changed their mind through persistent education from an unemotional friend who would rather facts be there and not phobia but others still have fear and loathing for the American Pit Bull Terrier. Let’s face it, these dogs have a history because of a propensity to be dog/animal reactive or aggressive and are incredibly powerful. In the wrong hands, they can be a walking disaster and the numerous media accounts that happen almost weekly are proof testament to that very real problem in this breed.
The unfortunate problem for this breed though isn’t so much the ignorance of the owners (though that’s a major portion), but the caliber of those who advocate for the breed. To realistically sit there and deny the history of the breed and what it was bred for in its infant stages is to deny the very reason we have such a human stable (or at least they should be!), biddable, wonderful companion who is so versatile they can do just about any task you set in front of them does this breed an incredible disservice. Or as Liz put it, “Blowing smoke up people’s behinds to make them sound like magical little bunny-hugging unicorns in a compact, muscular body doesn’t do anybody any good. Especially the dog.” And it’s true!
Unfortunately, those who would love to think that they are supporting this breed in its entirety are actually harming it by spreading false propaganda about these dogs. Phrases like, “Pit bulls were nanny dogs!” (Which isn’t correct! Staffordshire Bull Terriers hold that title.) and “Pit bulls were bred as herding dogs.” only serve to get those who would prefer to see these dogs demolished more fuel for their fire. These dogs don’t need lies to pump up the fact that they have a strong and loyal following of responsible owners that they can prove their worth on their own.
For this breed, those responsible owners are actually becoming a minority because we choose to realize that our breed was bred for a purpose. While that purpose is no longer legal, it doesn’t mean that the breed doesn’t still have the genetic traits that were sought after for that original purpose. (Genetics are quite funny, one change could tip the balance and screw things up royally – take a look at the Extreme American Bullies for example.) The ability and willingness of a pit bull to be reactive toward another dog (or animal) is still something that is incredibly prevalent in these dogs. It’s one of the key reasons many pit bull advocates chant the mantra “Never trust your dog not to fight.” They may not start it. They may not engage fully. They may only snap and snarl at another dog but they most certainly will be blamed for it.
Now, this is not to say that every single pit bull is going to be reactive, aggressive or even selective toward another dog but the genetics behind it are there. They are, after all, bull and terrier-type dogs and both types of dog are known for those exact traits and it’s something that needs a special owner who is willing to put time and dedication into training, socialization and maintenance of their four-legged friend.
These dogs aren’t meant for every Tom, Dick and Harry after all. They are a LOT of dog and unfortunately the “Save Them All” faction tend to down play that and make people feel sorry for a dog that would not be a good fit in every household. No one breed of dog is right for everyone be it a poodle, Shih Tzu, German Shepherd, or Great Dane and until people start to realize that, even if it sucks having to admit that (even to yourself!) then the breed will suffer at the hands of its own advocates because they would rather bury reality into a fluffy, rainbow-colored package that barks lullabies and poos glitter logs.
Being an advocate isn’t always pretty but we have to do it for our dogs. We have to protect our breed from the ignorance, the over-caring and the unkind. We have to make sure they are not set up for failure or we will eventually lose this wonderful breed to the government bodies that would seek to regulate these dogs out of existence.
So, please, if you want to be a breed advocate know your breed – the pros AND the cons. Be realistic about your dog no matter how much you love them and realize that those same breed traits you may want to suppress into you subconscious are still there and because of your unwillingness to embrace (even if you abhor) those traits could set your dog up to fail and your advocacy to crumble.
Today, we celebrate our love for puppies great and small. This year we give you a blast from the past with baby Ryker who was a whopping 10 weeks old in this photo. It’s hard to believe he will be seven years old in July. Where did my puppy go?
