The Scramble NEW YEAR, NEW DOGS

Transcription

1 The Scramble January 2010 Contributions to the Scramble are welcome. Deadlines are: December for January issue March for April issue June for July issue September for October issue Send to: Toni Ginnetti 207 N. Greenwood Ave. Park Ridge, IL Board of Directors Officers Aliss South, President Chris Eastwood, Vice Pres. NEW YEAR, NEW DOGS A new decade ushers in anticipation of things to come, and for a few Windy City Agility Club members, a new ``start with new family members their new dogs. Puppies and young dogs have found new homes with Aliss South, Marianne Fieseler, Loretta Marchese, Kim DeBenedictis, Barb Krynski and Tom Woepse, Nancy Saia, Sonja Lund and Dolores Valerio. And with them come all the wonders and woes of new personalities, new tendencies, new likes and dislikes and reminders of all those puppy traits our beloved adult dogs have outgrown. For some, the new ones have come after saying good-bye to long-loved pets. But as life goes on, new life doesn t mean forgetting, only remembering why it is that a dog means so much in our lives, and how precious each of their lives are. That holds true for rescued pups like Neskaya, Aliss s rescued Akita from Cleveland. Now 16 months old, she already has several nicknames including ``the brat and ``the runt. ``She was bought from a pet store in December [2007] when she was about 3 1/2 months old, then turned in to a high-kill gassing shelter the following May, Aliss said. ``[Akita] Rescue pulled her from there. There were no foster homes available, but there was donated kennel space, so she was a kennel dog from May to December [2008], That is what I know of her history. ``Physically, she is the smallest full-grown Akita I ve ever seen. Retief [Aliss s champion 8-year-old rescue] is 6 inches taller and out-weighs her by almost 70 pounds. I m not used to looking down that far to see my dogs. [continued on page 3] Blair Dawson, Secretary Lou Bogart, Treasurer Directors Paul Glombowski Gail Kalina Art Cuneo Nancy Reyes Jeff Wykowski Barb Krynski Dolores Valerio * ``Whiskey Fieseler, left, and his new brother ``Wendell, the newest Cocker Spaniel in the family. Bingo, the newest addition to the canine family of Barb Krynski and Tom Woepse

2 Page 2 BRAGS AND WAGS Winning ribbons and titles is ``old hat for many WCAC members, but even they will tell you the thrill of success and accomplishing things with your dog never gets old. Longtime members like Pat Hussey, Jill Hillock, Loretta Marchese, Aliss South and Barb Krynski have added new titles on their dogs. Pat s Bedlington terrier Vandy earned his UGRACH title at the WCAC fall trials joining brother Quincy as holder of the title. Jill s AmStaff Harmony, Loretta s sheltie Maggie, Aliss s Akita Retief and Barb s min pin Nikki each added UKC Rally Obedience 2 titles [URO2] in the fall, with Nikki also adding her URO3. For WCAC secretary and first-time competitor Blair Dawson, the thrill of a first ribbon came when her American bulldog/ lab mix Raleigh earned a second place qualifying ribbon in his first AGI Division III competition in the WCAC fall trials. ``He also volunteered to show at the Chicago Dog Expo at Navy Pier Nov. 14 in the agility competition, Blair said. ``The idea was to get dog expo visitors interested in agility and training. While there, he won the high jump competition, which was his first time doing it 48 inches!!. Longtime member Synoma Hays earned plenty of ribbons, titles and honors with mini dachshund Saffron, but now Saffron s pups are taking their bow-wow bows. Tarragon and Asti took part in the two-day Chicagoland Hound Assn. show in November, showing in conformation, obedience and rally. On day one, Tarragon received ``winners dogs in conformation and his second leg toward his CD as well as a first leg in AKC advanced rally. Asti earned her AKC rally novice title. Day two brought Tarragon a first in his conformation class and his second leg in advanced rally and his CD despite trying to shun a cold cement floor on his ``sit commands. Asti moved up to advanced rally, her first ``off leash competition. ``She kept wandering off especially because there was a nice, enticing jump in the middle of the course, Synoma said. ``Fortunately, she comes back quickly. What must have been a five minute run seemed like 20 minutes. I had to patiently bring her back and get her attention. I got a huge round of applause at the end because people were impressed that I never lost my temper with her and that I never gave up but made her work through it. The thought did occur to me.but it was worth it, and Asti earned her first advanced rally leg. Your editor had a first as well the first ever title for my two-year-old collie, Marnie. She earned the UKC rally obedience 1 title [URO1] with three clean legs in her first-ever competitions in the fall. Marnie got third place in her first leg and a first in her second leg. Her third leg was the qualifying score for the title, but she was entered in the second trial of the day as well that day. Her ``insurance leg produced another blue ribbon [point of honesty the only other dog in her division NQ d!] Synoma Hays with Tarragon and Asti and their ribbons The wonderful thing about having a dog in your life is you can t forget him. If you do, he s there to let you know. Cesar Millan

3 Page 3 NEW YEAR, NEW DOGS [continued from page 1] Aliss enrolled Neskaya in doggie day care at Nancy Reyes For Your Canine to help her learn ``doggie manners and work on the socialization she missed out on in her early months. ``Nancy said of her: ``she ll be the agility dog of your dreams, but she ll drive you absolutely crazy on the way, Aliss said perhaps a description that applies to most new pups! Except, perhaps, to Wendell, Marianne Fieseler s newest buff cocker. The little guy has been coming to WCAC sessions in the waning months of 2009 to help his socialization, but he seemed to have a head-start on good behavior even before. ``He s ADORABLE, said Marianne, a veteran ``pet parent of many breeds. ``He is a great puppy, has been to several dog shows as our mascot, loves everyone and loves Whiskey [the resident Fieseler agility cocker.] Shockingly, Whiskey loves him, too! ``We all have a huge case of puppy love around here, she said of husband, Frank, and two sons. ``He is quite irresistible. He also is, as Marianne put it, ``a Wendell. It s just a call-name that seemed to fit. As for Neskaya aka Rescue s Leronis of Neskaya Aliss chose a name in keeping with her science fiction Akita theme. ``Neskaya refers to a place of great power on the planet Darkover, Aliss said. ``If anyone wants to know who a Leronis of Neskaya is, they need to read Marion Zimmer Bradley s books on Darkover. Loretta Marchese s new female German Shepherd pup has a bit of the stars in her as well, named Venus. She joins Loretta s sheltie family of Maggie and Brandy. Nancy Saia s newest toy poodle, who came in 2009, is a more earthly ``Frankie joining the family of poodle Gina, pit mix Spike and Dobie Cocoa. Sonja Lund traveled to Canada for her newest miniature schnauzer puppy, Sassy, whose ``big sisters are Scheiss and Skeeter. Kim DeBenedictis found a new addition for her ``Flintstone family of papillons in an ``un-papillon a rescued miniature pinscher named Wilma. Dolores Valerio s family of cockers and greyhound added a female sheltie pup from the litter sired by Kathy Holdren s boy Sparks. Barb Krynski and Tom Woepse fell in love with the rat terrier they were fostering last spring, which is how Bingo came to be part of their permanent family. ``After only six months of training, he already has his AKC NAJ and NF and is halfway to his USDAA AD, Barb said. CLUB DOINGS Membership renewal time is coming, treasurer Lou Bogart reports. A new member directory also will be coming soon. Inclement weather canceled the first session of the new year on Jan. 7 as well as the monthly board meeting. The next board meeting will be Feb. 12. As a reminder, when weather becomes an issue for class sessions, information on cancelations can be accessed quickly on the club website, Get well wishes go out to board member Nancy Reyes, who is on the mend after knee surgery in December. And hiphooray for member Kathy Holdren, who is home after back surgery and a stay in rehab during her recovery. Our best wishes for a speedy return to Thursday classes. For those who might be interested, Swedish trainers Eva Bertilsson and Emelie Johnson Vegh will hold a two-day working seminar on March at K-9 Play Time in Mundelein focusing on their approach to ``what to train and how to train it, including the basics of clicker training for agility. Both have won titles at the Swedish Nationals in obedience, conformation and agility and have authored a new book, ``Agility Right From The Start. Working spots are $200 and limited to 12. Unlimited auditing spots are available for $100. Information is available at ``The biggest dog has been a pup. Joaquin Miller

4 Page 4 A FUN YEAR FOR THE SCRAPBOOK By Tom Francis Ms. Tilley has always been an entertaining, if erratic dog to run with in agility. Our runs could vary from ``WOW! to ``What was THAT? in a heartbeat. I had taken to telling people at trials that I had a magic crate because although I always knew what dog I put in the crate, I never knew what dog was going to come out. In our last trial of December, 2008, however, Ms. Tilley came out running fast and focused and performed that way for the entire weekend. It was a ``WOW! weekend, where things were going just the way you planned (and/or your dog was smart enough to cover your mistakes.) I don t know what I was doing differently, except for one factor: She had gotten her UGRACH at the previous trial after just 13 months of competition and dad was no longer doing the ``title math in his head with each run. We were finally back to ``runnin for fun. Whatever it was, the roll continued through the first part of For the next several months, she was a dog I felt honored to accompany to the starting line. In the first six months of 2009, Ms. Tilley accomplished the following: 4th place finishes: 6 3rd place finishes: 8 2nd place finishes: 12 1st place finishes: 54. High In Trial: 12 Titles: UGRACH 2, 3, 4 and 5 UKC All-Stars Ranking: AGI: second; AGII, second: AGIII: fourth. This included one day in which she had six clean runs, six first place finishes and High in Trial. She was truly a joy to run with.but then, just as suddenly as it started, she decided that the Table [in AGIII] was as much fun as having her temperature taken. We still have not figured that one out yet as we turned our focus in the second half of the year to therapy dog work. [Continued on page 5] Ms. Tilley with Therapy Dog and Good Citizen ribbons Photos courtesy of Sirius Photo Images

5 Page 5 HOW OLD IS YOUR DOG? You know how long the puppy phase lasts, and then come the ``challenges of ``the teenage phase. But is a ``dog year really equal to seven in human time? Not really, according to veterinarians and pet experts. A two-year-old dog is considered a young adult, not like a 14- year-old human teenager even if your two-year-old occasionally still gives you those ``teenage headaches. Here is a chart from the educational staff of Drs. Foster & Smith that more accurately calculates canine age: Pet Age ``Human Years 1 year 15 years 2 years 24 years 3 years 28 years 4 years 32 years 5 years 36 years 6 years 40 years 7 years 44 years 8 years 48 years 9 years 52 years 10 years 56 years 11 years 60 years 12 years 64 years 13 years 68 years 14 years 72 years 15 years 76 years 16 years 80 years 17 years 84 years 18 years 88 years 19 years 89 years Experts say the more accurate way to estimate your dog s age and life expectancy is by breed standards. Small breeds tend to live longer into their teens while giant breeds live significantly shorter years. What is important about a dog s age is adapting to his changing needs and behavior as he ages and remembering how the ``love quotient grows as time goes by! A FUN YEAR FOR THE SCRAPBOOK [Continued from page 4] After training and ``testing with the help of various neighbors, Ms. Tilley, in one weekend, passed her AKC Canine Good Citizen, TDI and TD Inc tests. We decided that TD Inc. was the best organization for her at this time and proceeded to complete her supervised observation visits. She is now officially a TD Inc. Therapy Dog. We are currently making weekly visits to Clearbrook Commons, a local facility for developmentally challenged adults, where Tilley is bringing smiles and laughs while she expands her ``A list of favorite people. Each visit has provided something special to remember. All in all, it was a great year for memories in the pages of Ms. Tilley s scrapbook and in our hearts. It will always be a special time that we will always cherish along with many others.all from a small, ``unique looking shelter dog with a big, big heart. To the world she is ``just a mutt. But to JoAnne and I, she will always be our little ``Uber K-9.

6 Page 6 GREEN DOGS???? SLEEPING WITH A DOG Dogs can come in all shapes, sizes and breeds but all of them could be ``green with some help from their owners. The Humane Society of the U.S. estimates there a 74.8 million dogs [and 88.3 million cats] in this country alone. That many creatures have an impact on the environment and ecosystems, according to the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Marcella Ridgway, a clinical assistant professor at the college, said our pets ``have a huge impact, from the resources that are used to produce pet food, toys and products to the basics of water in bathing and cleaning. She suggests several ways pet owners can help make their charges ``eco-friendly using the basic mantra of ``reduce, reuse and recycle. Toys, for example, can be reused by putting a few away to bring out when the ``old ones wear out. More and more products also are being made from recycled products or renewable sources. And even items like collars made from nylon can be considered ``green because of their durability to ``last a lifetime. For those with cats, she suggests using clumping litter to help reduce the amount of cat litter going into landfills [the clumping kind means cleaning out smaller amounts, hence using less at a time.] Most important, though, is spaying and neutering, Dr. Ridgway said. The costs of pet over-population from the resources needed to house and care for millions of unwanted pets to the painful alternatives are becoming overwhelming. Spaying and neutering, and adopting a shelter pet, can be the most ecofriendly choices a human can make.. Now I lay me down to sleep, A king size bed is soft and deep. I sleep right in the center groove My human being can hardly move! I ve trapped her legs, she s tucked in tight, And here is where I pass the night. No one disturbs me or dares intrude, til morning comes and ``I WANT FOOD! I sneak up slowly to begin My nibbles on my human s chin. She wakes up quickly I have sharp teeth I m a puppy, don t you see? For the morning s here and it s time to play, I always seem to get my way. So thank you Lord for giving me This human person that I see The one who hugs and holds me tight And shares her bed with me at night. Author Unknown ** ``The greater love s a mother s..then comes a dog s... Bathing is important, but consider ``sponge baths in between. In general, buying in bulk from foods to products is also a way to conserve packaging.

7 Page 7 AKC AGILITY INVITATIONAL A WINDY CITY VIEW OF LONG BEACH Included are CHANGES and ADDITIONS ONLY! For all other information, please refer to your October 2008 Di- By Barb Krynski The AKC Agility Invitational was held Dec. 10 to 12 as AKC marked its 125th anniversary. The event is open to the top five dogs of each breed and to the top five for the AKC National Obedience Invitational Championship. Traditionally it is also open to only the top five conformation dogs, but in honor of the anniversary, conformation was opened to all dogs. That is what caused the agility folks to get shafted! Our usual area was given over to conformation GROOMING! I made the cut with Trixie, and Tom Woepse once again made it with his crazy Min Pin Charlie! So off we went to Long Beach, CA. The trip west was uneventful and smooth. We arrived to some pleasantly warm weather, but that was soon to change. Friday afternoon it began to rain. And rain. And rain.all through Saturday. night! It rained harder than it has in that area in YEARS! Unfortunately, the agility portion of the event was held in a huge tent, with the crating in another adjacent tent, both on the low end of a paved parking lot. The rain soaked everybody and everything! It was flowing through the crating area in a river! Crates were completely soaked, along with all the bedding and supplies folks flew in with for their dogs comfort. The AKC, sadly, did very little pro-actively, and marginally more as damage control. Personally, I expected something ``special in honor of their anniversary, and it was special just not in the way I thought! The actual arena had some great footing, with several inch-thick sod laid throughout. The lighting was very good, but the sound system was deafening without anything to absorb the noise. The dogs didn t seem to mind, though! Trixie loved the footing and ran her heart out. [continued on page 9] Left: Tom and Barb with Charlie and Trixie. Above: Tom and Charlie at the start line. And Trixie with her stunning new Swarovski crystal collar!

8 Donna Wykowski,. right, had a winning bid of $100 to earn this agility quilt, created by Phylis Puskar, left, of Sterling Heights, Mi. Phyllis regularly competes in Windy City s UKC trials with her dogs Boomer and Teddy. Ever wonder what to do with all those agility ribbons? Tom Francis found a Christmas answer for Tilley s symbols of accomplishment! ``We originally put the ribbons on the tree for a fun photo for our relatives, Tom said. ``The plan was to take them down after a few days and put the real ornaments up. As the days went by, it began to sink in that this was really pretty special! Considering I am a first-time agility handler with my first agility dog (a shelter dog of unknown breeding, who had to take the beginner agility class four times!), this was an amazing experience. Tom says the traditional ornaments will come back next Christmas. But this one had to be Tilley s 2009 ``Blue Christmas. A New Year s tip: try incorporating your dog into your resolutions. He might help you keep them!. Raleigh has every reason to guard his first-ever agility ribbons! Blair Dawson s bulldog/lab mix got a second place qualifying score in AGI in his firstever trial during WCAC s fall trial.

9 Page 9 TAKING CARE OF A CANINE S ``CANINES By Toni Ginnetti I ll be the first to admit that the promise I always make to brush my dogs teeth regularly isn t always one that is kept. I have no excuses. Both my dogs, Bowie and Marnie, have no problem with me putting a tooth brush in their mouths, the brushing or the doggie toothpaste. In fact, they like it. So if there is one resolution I will try to follow this year, it s to keep up the cleaning routine. After all, any vet will tell you it s an important part of a dog s health. A few doggie dental facts: adult dogs have 42 permanent teeth 20 on top, 22 on the bottom. They emerge at about four months. Studies have shown that by age three, as many as 80 percent of dogs start to show signs of gum disease yellow or brown lines of tartar build-up at the gum lines or inflamed gums or bad breath. Gum disease rather than cavities is a dog s dental bane. Bacteria can grow in pockets than form around loosened teeth. Tooth loss can follow. Or a broken or loose tooth can harbor infection. Veterinary dental specialists have found that small breeds tend to develop periodontal disease more than larger breeds, perhaps because their teeth can be larger than their mouths will accommodate. But good dental hygiene is important for all breeds, as your vet probably reminds you. Taking the time to get your dog acclimated to having his teeth brushed even rubbing doggie toothpaste on with a gauze pad can work is as important as any behavioral training. Of course, chewing is a dog s natural way to oral hygiene, and bones, rawhides and the new generation of dental treats like Greenies are ways toward oral health as well. But if your dogs are like mine sometimes they skip the chewing part and go straight to ``swallow brushing may be the optimum way to go. Another option is the oral rinses which help with plaque and tartar while avoiding the brushing part. Dental chew toys work for some dogs, too. Whatever the method, the benefits of preventative dental care are worth it and it s never too late to start, no matter your dog s age. * * * * * * AKC AGILITY INVITATIONAL [continued from page 7] We only ran clean once, with minor mishaps during the other three runs. And Charlie didn t have a stellar weekend, but he did well for a 10-year-old dog. It s always a treat to watch the top five dogs of each breed, since you get to see such a huge variety. We saw Afghan Hounds, Pharaoh Hounds, several Bernese Mountain Dogs, pugs, Chihuahuas, Bedlington terriers, whippets and more! Everyone cheered for all the other exhibitors and good sportsmanship was the name of the game. It was great to see quite a few of the IL/IN/WI folks in the final round, too. English Cocker Dusty Rose, Tibetan Terrier Veronica, Peruvian Inca Orchid and Belgian Tervuren Zora. Our region was really quite well represented overall, and did a great job in the final round, too. The shopping was, of course, awesome! I got my Christmas present from Tom there. It is, of course, something for Trixie a suede and Swarovski crystal collar! Yes, I m a true collar-aholic! Overall, though, it wasn t nearly as much fun as other years due to the crummy conditions for the agility folks. I m proud to have been invited, but very disappointed with the AKC this year. Maybe next year will be better as they have promised it will be back indoors with all the amenities. We ll see...

10 Class Schedule and Upcoming Events THURSDAY EVENING INDOOR CLASSES (Held at For Your Canine, 4233 United Parkway, Schiller Park) Session I: January 7 through Feb. 18 Session II: March 4 through April 15 Session III: April 29 through June 10 Session IV: June 24 through Aug. 5 Session V: Aug. 19 through Sept. 30 Session VI: Oct. 14 through Dec. 2 [No class on Thanksgiving, 2010] Class Times: Beginner 6:30 to 7:15 pm, Intermediate I 7:25 to 8:10 pm, Advanced 8:20 to 9:05 pm, Intermediate II 9:10 to 9:55 pm. WCAC BOARD MEETINGS Meetings are at For Your Canine, Inc. on the second Friday of each month. Members are always welcome. Quiet and well behaved dogs are also welcome. For more information, call , Ask any Board member (names are on the cover page), or visit our website at Windy City Agility Club reserves the right to cancel classes, trials, meetings and events or change dates, times or location without notice. Windy City Agility Club c/o Toni Ginnetti 207 N. Greenwood Ave. Park Ridge, IL INSIDE THIS MONTH: Welcoming the `new Brags and wags A Scrapbook Year How old am I? AKC Agility Invitational: A Windy City View Don t Forget to Brush ``Green Dogs