‘T-Bone’ at the GSD National
‘Linus’ and Me
Through K-9 Friends, I met many people involved in Agility and Obe- dience. This gave me a severe case of the “Performance Bug.” I tried taking Wally to some performance events, but he always wondered why we were going places with all these dogs. He asserted his “chinnyness” and told me that dog sports were not for him. This led me to my first competition dog, a German Shepherd Dog named “T-Bone.” With him, I learned about training for Agility, Obedience, Rally, Therapy, Water Rescue, doggy back- packing, and many other games. By this time, I was the Training Di- rector of our local obedience club. I was teaching Basic and Advanced Obedience every week and competing in Agility, Rally, and/or Obedience on the weekends. With that experi- ence I was also the “go-to” person for JCCARE (Japanese Chin Care and Rescue Effort) for aggressive Chin rescues. It was a wonderful feeling to see a scared, non-trusting Chin turn into a confident and loyal compan- ion for someone. Through JCCARE I also met many other Chin people, creating many friendships and doggy world connections.
“I TRIED TAKING WALLY TO SOME PERFORMANCE EVENTS, BUT HE ALWAYS WONDERED WHY WE WERE GOING PLACES WITH ALL THESE DOGS. He asserted his “chinnyness” and told me that dog sports were not for him”
Then, here comes 2020. A breeder- friend, Jan Lockyer, hoping for a bitch to show from her upcoming lit- ter, ends up with four male puppies in January. Now she is wondering how to place four boys. Of course, I just KNEW I needed one of those pups. Earlier in the year, before the shut- downs were in place, I had attended
a Beginning Scentwork Seminar to learn the rules and basics of scent training. Now I had a project while I am in quarantine! “Banjo” (Coyote Ridge Bluegrass Rambler) came to me at 10 weeks old and we got started. I began with teaching Banjo how I am fun to play with and I am also the ev- er-important “Dispenser of Treats.”
T op N otch T oys , S eptember /O ctober 2022 • 55
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