In The Spotlight

When did you first become interested in dogs?

I have been interested in animals all of my life. I received my first puppy when I was about 10 years old.

Tell us about your first dog. What breed was it? How did it influence your current interest in dogs? What type of activities did you participate in with this dog?

My first dog was a male shepherd/husky mix. I took this dog through obedience training so I could walk him on a leash. He was a family dog, so he went everywhere that we did.

What dog(s) do you currently own?

My husband and I currently own four dogs, two Airedale Terriers and one Black Russian Terrier (BRT) and one hot dog with legs.

Why did you choose these breeds?

When I met Ken, he owned an Airedale Terrier, so we already had one. Then we got another so he wouldn't be lonely. Ken got his first Airedale after being around a friend who also owned an Airedale. They don't shed, like water and hunting. After these two, we owned a Springer Spaniel and a hot dog with legs. When these two passed, we went back to the Airedale.

Do you currently participate in any dog related activities?

We currently participate in obedience training with the Airedales and the BRT. Ken and I are also certified CGC Evaluators (Canine Good Citizen) which we do as fund raisers for a few different clubs.

How long have you been doing this activity? Any success stories you would like to share?

I (we) have been involved in obedience training actively for the past 5-6 years. Bailey, our 4 year old, has her CGC (Canine Good Citizen), CD (Companion Dog), and her newest title CDX (Companion Dog Excellence). Madison, our 3 year old, has her CGC and CD titles. Petrovich, our 1.5 year old BRT, is getting ready to enter the obedience trials. I showed him in Pre-novice (very beginning trial) and he came in 4th out of 16 entries. We were proud of his first showing, but are looking forward to his first obedience trial in Novice. Bailey and Madison have also been on the "Top Dog" team for another club. This is where the top performers from various clubs compete against each other as a team.

What is your favorite dog related memory?

We have lots of dog related memories so it's hard to pick just one. I think the most recent memory is of Madison. We were boat camping at Lake Havasu. This is where we put all of our camping gear into the boat, find a cove, pitch our tent and camp out on the lake for a week. This was also Petrovich's first experience with camping and being on the boat. He did very well and really enjoyed the air and water spray on his face. Bailey showed him how to get on and off the boat while it was tied up on shore.

Madison is our swimmer and will swim after anything when given a the chance. There were a couple of ducks that would come down for treats. Well, you know if you feed one or two ducks, soon there will be a flock and that's exactly what happened. Madison didn't appreciate them being so close and she really didn't like them eating crackers from Mom. Whenever she would see them she would charge at them barking and they would fly away. One day, while I was feeding the flock, she got really upset and started barking at them. The next thing we knew she was swimming after them. On her way back into shore, she ate all of the floating crackers making sure that nothing was left for the ducks, just to show them who was boss.

Another story is when we decided to get Petrovich (means Son of Peter) our Black Russian Terrier. Ken and I were really in love the first time we met a BRT at a dog show. This young man was about 9 months old and weighed close to 100 lbs. After meeting him we knew that eventually we would have to have one. About a year later, Ken started the hunt for a puppy calling San Diego, Canada, then finally Colorado. A couple of Russian "Dog Farmers" had Petrovich. His breeder/owners were both killed in a car accident so their friends took both him and his parents in. They soon found out that living in a city they had too many dogs and someone had to be sold. He was 7 months old at the time and weighed in at about 90 lbs. It was going to be too costly to ship him by plane, and pretty scary for him, so Ken and I took off for a weekend car trip. We had a few car problems but we finally made it there to meet him. It was love at first sight and we knew we needed him. The Russian family were excellent hosts. There was a bit of a language barrier, but we made it through the night. The next day we left for our return trip. We made our first stop for gas. While Ken was putting in the gas, I took Petrovich out to potty. Then I put him back in the car and went inside the gas station. The attendant, a young man, asked me what it was that I was walking, a bear cub or something from Sesame Street. I told him that it was a puppy. In disbelief, he ran out to the car, looked into the window for himself and then ran back into the gas station. We laughed about that for several days. Our next stop was to stay in a motel, just for a couple of hours, to sleep then back on the road. The motel said "no pets please" which we, of course, ignored. They had two rooms. One room was smoking and the closest to the office and the other choice was going through the lobby and upstairs. We, of course, choose the ground floor room. Not being smokers, the smell was really bad, but for a few hours we thought we would be ok. I again took Petrovich out to potty and when I returned to the room there were people milling around. Since this was a no pet motel I knew that it would be challenge to sneak a 90 lb puppy into the room. So I waited until the people weren't looking to run into the room. We were fine until we got to the door, and Petrovich put the brakes on and wouldn't go in. I was finally able to get him to go in and we went to sleep. When we left others were leaving, but just smiled at our new baby boy. It was quite a trip, but we enjoyed the bonding time with him before meeting his new sisters.

What is your most embarrassing dog related memory?

The most embarrassing dog related memory is during this same camping trip. We were on shore getting ice. Ken and the "kids" were waiting for me at the dock. Petrovich had his front paws on the dock and his rear on the bow of the boat. Well, the boat started moving and even though he was pretty stretched out it wasn't enough and he fell into the lake just as I got there to get a hold of his head. We had to lift him up onto the dock. The water was warm, and he was hot, so I know that it felt good, but it was a bit embarrasing for him.

Do you have any other hobbies you would like to share?

I like to tole paint and do other crafts. We like to camp, ski (both snow and water), fish, garden (Ken likes to plant trees, I love roses), and enjoy family and friends.

If you were asked "Why did you join Paw Prints Dog Club?" what would your response be? What is your favorite thing about the club?

Ken and I joined PPDC when we lived down in San Bernardino. We would drive up for the activities. We wanted to be part of a club that did "fun" things with their dogs. We belong to the Airedale Club and DeAnza D.O.G. Club. The Airedale club is, of course, a breed club and DeAnza is an obedience club. Both of these clubs are more into a serious approach with their dogs, so PPDC brings some balance. We were also interested in the parades and being on the drill team. We also had some interest in therapy work.

If you could attain one dog related goal this year, what would it be?

I would like to obtain the CGC and CD titles with Petrovich and prepare him for testing for the reading program. Work on Madison's CDX and start teaching Baily utility work.

What advice would you give to new dog owners?

Train your dogs and always pick up after them. You are this dog's life long companion and he/she deserves to be part of your life. For every minute you spend with your dog, you receive 10 times the love back. They have unconditional love and are always there for you when you need a friend. And lastly, remember that it's a prvilege to have a dog in your life.

Remember: Life is Merrier with an Airedale Terrier.
                  -Debby & Ken