Therapy Dog and CGC Testing Feb. 23

Therapy Dog and CGC Testing

Become involved in the therapy dog program with your canine companion and experience one of the most rewarding volunteer programs in Crawford County. Testing for therapy Dogs Incorporated/Paws Hand Delivered will be held on Saturday, February 23rd beginning at 1:00 pm at Station 2, Route 18, East Side Conneaut Lake. Pre-registration is required. To sign up, contact: Katara Peters at (814) 763-5968, Robin Peterson, at (814) 425-7185, or Sue Anderson, at (814) 382-2478. For additional information on the testing process, check out the Therapy Dogs Incorporated web site at, www.therapydogs.com. AKC Canine Good Citizen Testing will also be held on the same day. Pre-registration is also required for this evaluation.

Bark Park Seminar: Dogs 101

The mission of the Bark Park is to promote responsible pet ownership while providing an opportunity for dog   owners to be better informed on issues surrounding the health and welfare of their dog. Each winter, the Bark Park provides Saturday seminars covering a variety of topics of interest to the pet owner. The first seminar is scheduled for February 23rd, and is entitled “Dogs 101.” The presenters will be Katara Peters along with Robin Peterson, and Cricket Dignall.

This is an opportunity to find out specific answers to many of the questions you have regarding the behavior of your dog. Topics covered will include: crate training; clicker training; shaping your dog’s behavior; socializing your dog; dealing with fear and aggression; and how to deal with a variety of other problems the pet owner will often encounter.

     Seminars are three hours in length, 9:00 to 12:00, and are held at Station 2 Fire Hall on Route 18, East Side of Conneaut Lake. The cost of each seminar is $12.00, and includes donuts and coffee. Pre-registration is required by calling Sue Anderson at (814)382-2478 or emailing her at:: petcem23@windstream.net.


    Additional seminars include: First Aid for Dogs, All Natural Food, treats and possible treatments, and  chiropractic/
massage and doggie yoga. Additional seminars are scheduled for March and April, and will be listed on the Bark Park
web site at: www.conneautlakebarkpark.com.

Make it a Canine Christmas! DIY Dog Ornaments

It's a Doggy Christmas

We are hosting a Christmas Tree at the Historic Market House in Meadville, PA this year. The theme is "Winter Tales" .. so how about some Dog TAILS!  Sue has put the word out for donations of small stuffed dog ornaments to make this a tree "Gone to the Dogs".

I started poking around for an easy pattern to make my own stuffed dog and found lots of ideas!  I figured that other dog lovers might appreicate these, too.

If you are feeling crafty, why not make a dog or two!  If you are in our area and want to have your pup included on our tree, we need them by November 24th.  For more information email Sue at petcem23@windstream.net .  Find out more about this event and so much more going on at the Conneaut Lake Bark Park at http://www.conneautlakebarkpark.com

Here are the cute felt dogs I found:

This one is for a key ring, but it's perfect for an ornament!
Felt dog key ring pattern 

The author of this site also shows how she made a custom made pattern for her "mutt" from a photo.
Classic Hound pattern

The crafter at Rag Doll Rising created the pattern for "Sparky".  I think he is adorable!
Sparky Pattern

North East of Eden has the pattern for Get Along Little Doggies.  I love the "homemade" look of this!

I would use this pattern with white felt and color in a pattern for a beagle or spaniel!  Stuffed Dog pattern

I found this pattern on Bichonfinder.com!  Let it Snow Dog pattern

This pattern is for a felt dog magnet, but I think it would be very simple to eliminate the magnet and insert a piece of ribbon to hang it on your tree!  Felt Dog Magnet








This pattern's title is Pet Labrador, no picture but there is a link on the site: http://www.puchicollective.com/sewing-patterns/83/

And ... I found some additional dog and puppy craft ideas on Squidoo:
http://www.squidoo.com/dog-and-puppy-crafts?utm_source=google&utm_medium=imgres&utm_campaign=framebuster

Tamarack Agility Trials 2012

Public Welcome!

The Tamarack Dog  Agility Trials will be at the bark park facility from July 27-29, Friday until Sunday afternoon.  

•  Friday 9:00-12:30
•  Saturday 9:00 – 4:30
•  Sunday 9:00 – 1:30

Entrance and parking are FREE!  Leashed, well behaved dogs welcome.  There are bleachers, but it might be a good idea to bring a chair.

Bark Park Members

The trials will be set up on the old softball field area, behind the trailer.  A food concession area will probably be set up near the port-o-john.  During the weekend, please follow the guidelines listed below.

1. The small dog area/puppy area will be for use by the agility trial people the entire weekend and will be totally closed to bark park individuals.
2.  Therefore, the large dog area and the training area will be for use ONLY by bark park members.
3.  Since some of the members use the area exclusively for their dogs, please try to be considerate of other members and do not stay in the area for over 20-30 total minutes during a visit.
4.   If you are walking on the property, I suggest you keep your dog on a leash when you are near any of the campers, motor homes, etc. 
5.  On Saturday afternoon, from 2-4:00 Mary Knierman is having a birthday party in the training area for Pumpkin.
6.  Other than that, most of the agility people will be gone by late Sunday afternoon.
7.   If you come to watch the trials, remember, dogs MUST be on a leash.
8.   Refreshments will be available for spectators and people competing.

Any questions, post a comment. Sue should be on the property the entire weekend, so if you have a concern, look for her on the grounds at the trials or call her at 814-671-2809.

Dock Diving Summer Fun Event

On Saturday, June 23^rd, Conneaut Lake Bark Park Dock Diving Club will hold a “Summer Fun Dock Diving Event”.  The event is open to anyone that wants to participate and have an opportunity to see how their “high flying dog” could compare in a registered dock diving event and a chance to better understand the procedures associated with competitive dock diving.   

Registration will open at 9:00 with the first splash (class) to start at 10:00. Open dock will be from 9:00 until 10:00.  We will have 3 sets of splashes and also the extreme vertical.  The splashes will be $5.00 each and you can enter in one or all three.  Finals will follow shortly after the last splash.  If you qualify for finals they will be free. The schedule is as follows.

9:00 – 10:00    Registration
10:00              Splash #1
                      Splash #2
                      Extreme Vertical
                      Splash #3
                      Finals

We will run the first splash and take a 15 min break then the 2nd splash and a 15 min break  and so on.  Ribbons will be awarded to the winners. Any questions on procedures, cost, etc.,  please feel free to call Sherry at           814-336-9442.

Find out more about Dock Diving at Conneaut Lake Bark Park: http://www.conneautlakebarkpark.com/dock-diving

 

Sadie, the Therapy Dog

Sadie

People seem to come to Therapy Dog work through different channels and for different reasons.

When my husband and I married 36 years ago, our wedding gift to each other was a Cocker Spaniel puppy that we named "Gus". It didn't take long until we were a multi-dog household. All I had ever known as a kid was having dogs as pets. Jim and I had wonderful dogs with great personalities.

About 15 years ago, we were given a yellow Labrador puppy. Her owners couldn't handle her so they decided to "give her to Deb and Jim". Her name was Sadie. She was the most difficult dog we have ever owned.

Sadie and Debbie Ski Jorring

Her biggest problem was food aggression. Also, she was so hyperactive that her eyes were always dilated and I actually had to teach her that she could be still for a while. Of course, on the "up" side, she was never tired and could do things for a very long time. I taught her to Ski Jor, which is pulling a cross country skier. She loved it because she could run forever.

I looked for a dog training school and found Attaboy Dog Obedience in the yellow pages. I signed Sadie up and she excelled in obedience. The owner/operator told me about a local small therapy dog program called "Paws Hand Delivered". We tested for it and Sadie completed the test perfectly.

When you do have a therapy dog, it is important that you know your dog. The most important thing during your visits is your dog, his/her comfort, and safety. Therapy Dogs are not robots. Some don't like certain facilities, some don't like children, and some only want to visit when they feel like it. Even though Sadie was a therapy dog, the food aggression didn't disappear. If we were visiting and a patient asked to feed the dogs, we left the room immediately.

Sadie was an exceptional therapy dog. She would carefully step among cords and tubes to let someone pet her and then cautiously back out, never making a misstep. She would approach people slowly and make sure that nothing was disturbed during her visit. She amazed me when we visited the skilled nursing areas where the patients are seriously ill.

Sophie

By now, I was totally hooked on therapy dog work so we also joined a hospice program. Again, Sadie was quiet and soft when visiting people. And I had my new dog, Sophie, a Brussels Griffon, tested. Now I had two therapy dogs.

I had worked for many years in Human Services. Now I was impressed by how much I could help people by working through my dogs. The patients could talk about dogs they used to have and happier times they remembered. The softness of the dogs eased sore hands and tiny dogs could be held like children. When holding Sophie one evening, a lady said that it had been many years since she had held a dog.

Therapy Dog work takes you out of yourself. It's not about you. It is about the patient and your dog and you are the facilitater. And in coming outside of yourself, you actually gain more than you ever thought you could.

If you have a dog with good manners that interacts nicely with people, you may want to consider having your dog tested to be a Therapy Dog. There will be testing on June 16, 2012, at the Conneaut Lake Bark Park. You can also contact the Bark Park for information on what the test is like and what you need to know beforehand.

Sadie and Sophie are no longer with us. Now Bunny and Abu are my therapy dogs and Opie and Isaac are "in the wings" to become therapy dogs. This is something I want to do for a very long time.

Sadie

Debbie Myers

You also might be interested in:

• www.skijornow.com
• Therapy Dogs, Inc.

Life with Opie: Finding Opie

Opie looking his best for Basic Obedience
Graduation Day.

Opie is now one year old. 

He is a black and white Pit Bull/Labrador mix. His mother was named Oreo and was a black and white Pit Bull. His dad was a silly yellow Lab.


We found Opie after 4 days of whining in the tree line at the back of the property. We had looked for 4 days but he was hard to find because he was black and kept hiding from us. On the 4th day, hunger and fleas brought him to us. He was about 6 weeks old.

The "breeder" said we could keep him so our first order of business was to get him healthy. With his happy personality and his "I can do this" attitude, that didn't take long.

Opie recently graduated from Advanced Obedience. The thing to remember when you take Obedience classes is that they are your starting place. The pups don't leave all trained and ready for off leash activities. You still need to work with your dog regularly so that those new skills become routine.

In Opie's case, he was what I call a Winter Puppy. A lot of his puppyhood took place in the winter when it was hard to find groups of people to pet him and to socialize him. Because of his love of every person and every dog, he has some immature and rude behaviors because he isn't totally socialized.

That is our goal for this summer, to learn manners and to practice all his commands out in The World.
I'll keep you posted on his progress!