First Day of Tracking

Since Shelby has such a strong food drive we thought that she is a great candidate for tracking. Anytime I take her out for a walk, she spends minutes at a time sniffing the ground, checking here and there, picking up all kind of crap. I always have to watch her and it happened already several times where I pulled out bones, dog poop and other stuff out of her mouth.

Barko and Cito are starting their Schutzhund training again and tracking is one of the disciplines that we practice with them. So this morning we took Shelby with us.

We followed the Gene England method. I made 3 scent pads and put lots of food in there. I took Shelby out, lead her to the scent pad, allowed her to sniff the treat in my hand before I threw it on the scent pad. With the command “such” Shelby put her nose down immediately and started the search – reward process. We could hear her breathing so hard and she took her time finding every little treat. She did great with all 3 scent pads and I can’t wait to practice with her again.

Visit at Piedmont Park

Today we had gorgeous weather in Atlanta, blue sky and about 65 degrees. We decided to take Shelby and the boys to Piedmont Park. Talk about mental stimulation and control. Shelby saw roller bladers, she watched bicycles passing her by, she walked next to other dogs, she met joggers and small children. And with all that she did a great job.

Unfortunately, we left our water at home. So when we asked for some water from a faucet, Shelby didn’t even want to drink the chlorine water. Instead she waited until we got home and then she finished her entire bowl. I guess she is getting spoiled.

And now she is sleeping on her blue pillow – this was an exciting day for her.

Just a Dog

A friend of mine just sent me the below article which rings so true for me. So I share it here on my blog and I hope Richard Biby, the creator of the article, doesn’t mind. 

From time to time, people tell me, “lighten up, it’s just a dog,” or,
“that’s a lot of money for just a dog.”
They don’t understand the distance traveled, the time spent,
or the costs involved for “just a dog.”  
Some of my proudest moments have come about with “just a dog.”  
Many hours have passed and my only company was “just a dog,”
but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by “just a dog,”
and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of “just a dog”
gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it’s “just a dog,” then you will probably understand phrases like
“just a friend,” “just a sunrise,” or “just a promise.”
“Just a dog” brings into my life the  very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy.  

“Just a dog” brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.
Because of “just a dog”, I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future.

So for me and folks like me, it’s not “just a dog” but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future,
the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

“Just a dog” brings out what’s good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.
I hope that some day they can understand that it’s not“just a dog”,
but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being “just a man or woman.”  

So the next time you hear the phrase “just a dog” just smile… because they “just don’t understand.”

by Richard Biby Tulsa, Oklahoma Contributing Editor VHD