Amazing canine athletes abound in the Bay Area, many of them competing for top titles in various sports. We asked a few folks whose dogs have won those titles to write about their champions for this issue. Hats off to Roy, Crush, and the late Buddy for their athletic prowess, teamwork, and perseverance – and to the humans who love them, without whom none of it would be possible.
Herding Champion
ROY
Roy is a four-year-old Bearded Collie. At 16 weeks he was tested with sheep to assess his herding instinct. Not all dogs who are herding breeds will have the actual drive to work livestock. Dogs who like to chase other dogs or people are usually just playing – this behavior is not a good indication of herding instinct. Roy went straight to work collecting the sheep, turning them, and using pressure to move and stop them. We started training immediately with a goal of competing.
Herding is a complex sport that is all about teamwork. Competition levels replicate tasks a working ranch dog would perform. Even as a tiny four-month-old puppy Roy was a high-drive, intense worker with a big outrun and a natural tendency to move counter clockwise (“away”). We trained weekly until we were ready to enter a trial.
Roy earned his first title at one year of age. Two months later he earned his second title. We took a break to train and compete in agility and obedience, which we love doing together, but herding is who Roy is. We will be back to training this year and look forward to competing at the higher levels.
Dianne Morey is owner/operator of DogmaSF dog training. Contact her via her website at dogmasf.com. Also, don’t miss her great blog about living with dogs at plainroyal.com.
Agility Champion
CRUSH
MACH4 Crush MXB2 MJB2 XF T2B FDX NW3 Crush, is a six-year-old mixed breed former shelter dog. After not working out as a pet dog several times and almost not making it out of the shelter, Crush finally found the right home with me, ready for a job to do. Crush was very fearful of new people and new situations when she first came to me, so we spent our first year working on that. We would go on walks in as many new places as possible and make games out of scary situations, using clicker training, treats, and toys.
Nowadays Crush and I spend most weekends competing in AKC and USDAA agility trials, and we train a couple of times a week in varying locations. In the past year we have traveled far and wide to attend National events for both organizations, including the first ever Westminster Kennel Club Agility Trial in New York and the AKC Agility Invitational in Orlando, where we took 3rd place in finals.
Aryn Hervel is the owner of Leaps & Hounds Dog Training in Marin. She can be reached via her website at leapsandhounds.com.
Dock Diving Champion BUDDY
A year ago Buddy was on the cover of Bay Woof as a vibrant, energetic one-year-old black Lab. Buddy traveled around the country with me and Sierra, my twelve-year-old Lab, competing in Splash Dogs events. Buddy made his first leap of faith off the dock in Colorado and quickly advanced to jumping over 20 feet. He was on his way to becoming a super star.
On Labor Day weekend in 2013 we got the horrible news that Buddy had a Sarcoma tumor that had taken over his kidneys and stomach. I was devastated and immediately went to the cancer center at UC Davis for treatment. The news did not get any better.
I decided to take him back to his original home in Ft. Myers, Florida to be with his family for an October event. I wanted him to have as much fun as possible and he had a blast playing with his family, swimming, and jumping into the pond. I had to say goodbye to Buddy on November 11.
Buddy loved life and made the most of every minute. He is truly missed and will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, my little Buddy.
Tony Reed is President of Splash Dogs, a dog enthusiast organization that produces canine aquatic events across the United States. Visit splashdogs.com for more information.
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Main article photo by: Dianne Morey, southardphoto.com, Gallery59Photography.com
