Discover Dogs

It's that time of year again, the fantastic event that is Discover Dogs, I can highly recommend this event, as you might just discover yourself! or discover your perfect breed of dog, or maybe even discover an activity that you never knew existed?

It's not to late to get your tickets and get yourself down this weekend.  

There is nothing better than seeing so many happy wagging tails, and seeing all the brilliant work that goes into this huge event. 

Sponsored by Royal Canin, the event is expected to welcome over 26,000

visitors and 3,000 dogs over the two days of the show.

The event provides a fantastic opportunity for visitors to meet, greet

and discover over 200 different breeds of purebred dog, and learn all

about the distinctive personalities, traits and looks of each breed and

how to buy the perfect canine partner.

Discover Dogs began in 1996 and has now become one of the must-sees in

the canine calendar. It is a fantastic experience and one that can't be

missed by any dog lovers.

And now the countdown has begun for this year's show. Discover Dogs,

organised by the Kennel Club, is London's leading dog event and this

year, our 15th event will be showcasing 200 breeds of pedigree dog for

visitors to meet, so if you like dogs you will love Discover Dogs.

Some info about what's on - http://www.discoverdogs.org.uk/whats-on

and here's just a sneak peak of what's going on

 Companion Dog Club Competition 

Scruffts - Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year Final

200 breeds of pedigree dog for visitors to meet and learn more about

   Young Kennel Club Competitions

   Kennel Gazette Junior Warrant Semi Final (which will put on show potential Crufts champions of the future)

Dog Agility and many different doggy demonstrations

 Dog Photographer of the Year 2011 photographic competition - winners' display

    Trade Stands (2011 list available later this year) - over 100 stands selling all you can possibly imagine for you and your dog.

      Online Kids Zone and YKC

and of course the important bit-

http://www.discoverdogs.org.uk/ticket-office

What more do you need to know? Well o.k, maybe a little bit more, did you know that there will be a brilliant new scheme launched at Discover Dogs this year.

DOGS NEW WEAPON IN BATTLE AGAINST CHILD ILLITERACY

The Kennel Club is launching a charitable foundation that will help to bring dogs to children as reading companions, in a bid to halt the staggering decline in child literacy.

Zoe Wanamaker is the first celebrity to support the Kennel Club’s new Bark & Read Foundation, which is being launched after figures revealed that one in five children leave school unable to read or to write.

This new project will help to support the network of dogs that can be taken in classrooms, libraries and other places of learning to help children develop confidence about reading out loud to a non-judgemental companion.

The project will be officially launched at the Kennel Club’s Discover Dogs event, taking place on 12-13 November at Earls Court. Children, who if under 12 go free to the event, will be able to read to dogs in a dedicated reading corner. The Kennel Club will also be hosting reading days at its library based in Piccadilly, which holds the largest collection of dog literature in Europe.

There are two charities that take dogs into schools in the UK, which the Bark & Read Foundation will support, Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ) and Pets As Therapy, through their Read 2 Dogs programme. The latter is active in more than 40 schools across the country but the Kennel Club wants to see even more children benefiting.

Speaking about the project Zoe Wanamaker, said: “Reading is such an important skill that is used in every part of our lives, but it can be a scary and intimidating experience when you are young.

“As with anything in life you have to practice, practice and practice to get better. That is why the Kennel Club’s Bark & Read project is such an inspiring idea, as we all know that dogs are great listeners and won’t judge if we stumble over a word. The concept makes reading time fun and helps to develop children’s self esteem and passion for reading while they’re still finding their voice. If children aren’t inspired to read then they will just turn to their play-stations and x-boxes instead.”

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary said: “Dogs don’t judge, they don’t laugh or correct if a child makes a mistake. In short, dogs are simply great listeners which makes all the difference for children who are struggling to read. They caught onto this idea in the States a long time ago and there is plenty of proof that it works.

“We have set up the foundation, as part of our Charitable Trust, to support those charities in the UK that are doing amazing work by taking dogs into schools and other places to help children to read. We hope that people will support the project by donating money or, if they have a dog, by coming forward and seeing if they could be a potential volunteer so that more children can benefit.”

Mrs Morgan, Learning Support Assistant at St Matthews Primary School in Middlesex spoke about the difference that reading to dogs has made to one of her pupils, when he met Pets As Therapy dog, Henry. She said: “There was one boy in our class who had extremely low self esteem and was declared to be essentially mute.

“On his first visit to Henry, he read his entire book, without error and in an audible voice.  He would take sly looks at Henry but did not interact with him.  In the weeks that followed, progress has been exceptional.  His reading has dramatically improved and so has his confidence in reading aloud.  He will now actively contribute ideas and is thrilled when he is praised and valued.  Despite various past interventions and strategies, nothing has come close to reaching him in the way that Henry has.”

Claire Claydon, a head teacher at Brightlingsea Juniors’ School and a Pets As Therapy volunteer, said: "As a head teacher and a Pets As Therapy volunteer I have seen what a difference reading to dogs makes. It builds the children’s confidence to a degree that we never imagined possible and they actually look forward to reading time. Another factor that we never planned for, that turned out to be really important, is that the child feels like they’re being the teacher, the one responsible for helping the dog to understand the story.”

www.thekennelclub.org.uk/barkandread

So what are you waiting for, get your tickets now!

The North East Dog Directory

For some silly reason, at the start of my final year at university I decided to take it upon myself to start a new project.


This is the general idea- (taken from our Faceook page) www.facebook.com/tnedogdirectory


I need your help to generate as much of a buzz as possible, the more people the better. I will keep everyone updated over the next few weeks about how the meetings go.


Welcome to the one stop resource for everything and anything dog related in the North East. A comprehensive directory comprising of the best services, events, charities and much more in the North East. 


Would you like to get involved? Read below to find out how to get an album in our gallery with our visual directory, and find out what we are doing. 


This page was created as a replacement for another page I created 'Northumberland Dog Services' in order to have a page title that incorporates the whole of the North East. You are welcome to post your page links, events, questions, or anything else on the wall, any links that you leave will also appear as a list in our 'links' tab.

Want to find a dog training club? Want to find local doggy walkers? Want to find doggy shops? Want to know about doggy events in your area? Or just want to ask peoples advice on a doggy matter? Then look no further.
This page is for everything and anything dog related, be it big dogs, small dogs, dog training, dog photography, charities, rescues, dog walking, veterinary practices, and and all the services you could imagine. Please feel free to post on the wall, be it your service page, questions, experiences or events. (The only catch is, it must have some link to the North East).

As some of you will know Facebook will be removing the discussions tab on the 31st October which is way this page does not incorporate one. You are still welcome to post on the wall with links, (which appear as a list in our 'links tab). Please make sure they are well presented, and once you have posted on here, please share our page on your wall.

In place of the discussions tab we will have an app which is coming soon that will allow users to search all the services (that have added themselves), and also narrow results by using their postcode. Its exactly what is says on the tin, its a 'directory'

The only way to keep up to date is to 'like' this page, all news will be posted on here. It will also be the first place to hear about the brand new quarterly e-magazine 'The North East Dog Directory'. You can also use the email below to request a reminder for the when the website goes live.

**Website- Coming Soon!**
** www.thenortheastdogdirectory.co.uk **
will be going live soon , this will be a brand new resource for the whole of the North East. Some of its feature will include:
>A community forum
>Amazing advertising packages- for all business no matter how big or small (available from the 30th October)
>Free listing for your business, charity or service on the searchable database
>Events page
>Bed and bone- a guide to the best dog friendly places in the North East
>Go Walkies (walkapedia)- An interactive guide to the most amazing walks that the North East has to offer.
> Activities/Training- A comprehensive guide to all the dog activities that the North East has to offer as well as an explanation of what they involve.
>Rescue and Rehoming- a page dedicated to the work done by North East charities and some of the dogs needing homes.
>Lost and Found- A record for lost dogs and found dogs in the North East
and much more to be added
>News and Articles - Behaviour articles, interesting news

and much much more

This is a free resource for all, it will be the most comprehensive guide to the whole of the North East dog world. That means that if you're not on it (no matter what type of service you provide) then you're missing out, and people are missing out on you.

Would you like to know about our advertising packages and what we offer? Do you want to know more? Want to submit an article, a walk, an event, a business story, charity story, then please email below, we need your input. Or would you like a reminder sent for when our website goes live? We welcome anything and everything.

Email - tnedogdirectory@gmail.com

*Want to get involved?*

We also want this page to become a community of all things dog related in the North East area, and it can become the meeting place for all ages. In order for it work you need to share, share, and share again.

The more people the more variety and the more rich this becomes with information.

Use this as a platform to reach new clients or let people know more about your business, charity or event. The more people on this page the more beneficial it is for people. Post your pages, events, news, interesting stories, training days, rescue pages, competitions.

**Would you like to be in our gallery?** What we would like to do is offer all image based services i.e photographers, artists, graphic designers the opportunity to send us 5 of their best pieces of work to tnedogdirectory@gmail.com with the subject title 'Album', and we will place them in an album with your business as the gallery title, so make sure you include contact details. This will allow users to see your work. We would also like to open this up to any service, any 5 images that best represent your business (whatever that may be), they can include adverts, products or general images, so it would be brilliant to get lots of different dog clubs, (flyball, agility), walkers e.t.c. Again the gallery title will be your chosen service name and region. So start sending and help us build a visual directory. Make sure you include as much information as possible through comments, sharing and tagging. The albums will be listed on a first come first served basis. So start sending.

**How you can help:**

You can help this page grow, it’s really easy, and the more everyone does it, the better it will get, use this as a platform to reach new clients or let people know more about your business, charity or event. You can also tag us in posts by using the @ button and then our page name.
All you have to do is click ‘share’ at the bottom left hand side of the page, share it on your wall, let friends know, share it on your company pages, and share it in any groups. Have you got a company page? Then add us to your favourites.

All abusive, misleading or non related content will be removed. Please make sure posts are well presented to keep the page looking tidy. If you post links on the wall for your pages, then please return the favour and post this page on yours.

'The Last Walk'

All you have to do is click Ripley's kennel.

'The Last Walk'

'The Last Walk' 17th-21st October. The Pedigree Adoption Drive.

The Team at Pedigree have come up with a brilliant idea to aid their Adoption Drive taking place Monday 17^th October through until Friday 21^st October, and it couldn’t be easier to get involved. Read on to find out how.

I hope you will agree once you have read through this post, that the work they are doing is nothing short of fantastic. I am newbie when it comes to rescue dogs, having only recently got my Cocker Spaniel in March from a rescue. It is so rewarding to build the trust back with a dog that hasn’t had the best start in life, and I would more than recommend considering a rescue dog in the future.

So to the nitty gritty stuff,

At Pedigree we believe that every dog deserves a loving home.

Last year over 120,000 dogs were abandoned in the UK. And 7,571 of those dogs had to be put down.

The Pedigree Adoption Drive launched in 2008. Since its launch we have raised over£1million for rescue centres up and down the country who are working tirelessly to find new and loving homes for abandoned dogs.

Last year alone, grants of almost a quarter of a million pounds were distributed to 34 rescue homes and went towards funding the vital refurbishment of dilapidated kennel blocks, desperately needed veterinary facilities and the supply of essential surgical equipment.

Want to help? (well let's be honest, who wouldn't want to?)

The Idea

‘The Last Walk’ 17th-21st October 2011

Over 20 abandoned dogs are put down every day. This year, the campaign is about saving abandoned dogs from their Last Walk – the walk that sadly ends in a vet’s room where they are put down.

For 1 week dog lovers everywhere are being called upon to take part in the world’s first“virtual dog walk around the web”.

You will be able to pick up our real dog Ripley from www.pedigreeadoptiondrive.com, Facebook (www.facebook.com/wearefordogs), Twitter (@wearefordogs), Ebay, MSN Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and blogs like this one.

Our virtual dog will walk across beaches, forests and parks. These will be real websites of places where a dog would love to go on a walk. With each walk you can interact and play with Ripley and every completed walk will unlock a £1 donation from Pedigree until we hit our £100,000 target.

Ripley will be walked across 4 different sites to unlock the £1 donation.

Now you may be thinking, who is Ripley? Well Ripley is the beautiful face for the campaign. By the time she turned two, Ripley had already had at least three homes. When she was abandoned Ripley was underweight and matted with mud. Friendly, outgoing and inquisitive, Ripley was an instant hit with stunt dog expert Gill Raddings, who adopted her shortly after their first meeting.

These days, Ripley is not only a much-loved companion but also a successful stunt dog; she’ll even be appearing alongside Twilight A-lister Kirsten Stewart in the upcoming blockbuster, Snow White.

The Important Bit!

All you have to do is come back to my blog on Monday 17^th and take Ripley for a virtual walk. It really is that easy! So when you get up on Monday morning, get your cup of tea, breakfast or perhaps walk your own dogs, and then sit down to do this, it won’t take long and you can go on with your day knowing that you have made a difference.

What are you waiting for?
See you on Monday!

Watch this space for some exciting news about the Pedigree Adoption Drive.

3 Clears and Third Year

So I have one day of freedom left before I go back to University for my final third year. I suppose that means at some point I am going to have to look at that thing, ermm what do you call it, ah yes, a career. Any ideas? Because I have none, I wish I could put my finger on something I really wanted to do, like be a dentist, a vet, a nurse, just something. Unfortunately my ideal job would involve working with dogs all day (and at some point winning the lottery so I could build a huge dog training and demonstration centre).

Up again at 6am for the Hare n Hounds Autumn show, I have done no training with Rusty, for the simple reason that I just want to give him a break and his only agility will be the odd bits in the garden and competitions. It seems to be paying off, he’s speed is a little bit better and we came away with 3 clears on Saturday. The first class was a really nice flowing course as it was a heat to qualify for a final being held that day, seen as it was the first run of the day his head wasn’t really in the game. We got a clear and ended up 10^th out of 39 dogs. The next clear came in the jumping graded, we ended up with a 4^th out of 21 dogs. The next class was the agility graded, Rusty was running so well, but his idiot of a handler pushed him out over the wrong jump. Eliminated. Gutted! His best run of the day came in the agility combined 4-7. I was so happy with him; we ended up with a 6^th out of 54 dogs. Even with a clear I expected to get nothing. Overall a good day, rounded off with a very nice Chinese takeaway. Yum!

"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts."

- John Steinbeck

On a totally separate note: The Northern English Springer Spaniel Rescue presents a Spooktacular Halloween Fun Weekend at Druridge Bay Country Park in Northumberland. Open 10am-4pm come rain or shine on Saturday 29th October and Sunday 30th October 2011. All breeds, big or small welcome. See poster below for full details. Please share this event and poster. (All trade stand enquires should be emailed to nessr97@aol.com). We look forward to seeing you there!

Sun. In September. Really?

So it hasn't rained in like three days, apart from the gale force winds I have been able to get some really nice long walks done. I’m really going to miss the freedom when I go back to university (as of September 24^th). The nights are also starting to cut back in, and if there’s one thing about the winter it’s the miserable feeling that it’s going to be dark by 4pm, and by December, dark and probably snowing.

I haven’t taken photographs in such a long time, so I thought I would take the camera, and I know I’m out of practice, but I also think my five year old workhorse of a camera is starting to give up. All the same, thought I would get some of the lesser spotted sun before it disappears for good.

I have also added a new section above, ‘Classes’. I am hoping that over the course of the next few months I will be able to add training videos from the classes (with permission of course) to see the difference in both dog and handler.

Who better to start with than my boyfriend Jamie and his dog Paddy, so keep up to date by checking the ‘Classes’ page.  Also please take the time to LIKE our Facebook page, just follow the link above :)

"No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich."

- Louis Sabin

Sometimes you forget where you live

The Young Kennel Club (of which I am a member of) recently asked for stories about favourite walks, I thought I would give it a go, it needs a little bit of work, but creative writing was never my forte.

I think I take for granted where I actually live, Widdrington, that small pin-point on the map that you can pass through everyday without noticing actually has some beautiful walks. I don’t have to walk much by main roads, or come across great deals of people. Instead I get in my car, drive for 30secounds and I’m down what has now become affectionately known as the ‘tip road’. Not because it’s actually a tip, but because years ago it housed the Stobswood Brickworks.

The large fields are brilliant for my spaniels, and instead of people we often come across the elusive resident hare, that as good as my spaniels are just can’t quite catch. It often becomes our own little playpen when we take out all 5 dogs.  The woodland is beautiful and it proves popular with varying wildlife, if your quiet maybe you might spot the deer or if your loud than maybe the families of pheasants.  

Despite the convenience of the tip road, the best walks to be had are just a stone’s throw away. The Northumberland Coast is one of the most spectacular stretches in the country, miles of dunes, golden sand and plenty of open ocean. More often than not, depending on the time of day you can have miles of beach all to yourself and your dogs. My dogs love the water, and it’s like having your own personal giant swimming pool, especially when the tide is out as it has left large pools of water. 

I should really be down on the beach everyday it isn’t raining to take full advantage of the fact I don’t live in a city. I like being rural, there’s something calming about it, I’m not a big fan of large cities and concrete, New York was an experience but it in no way appealed to me as a place to live or work. It’s not the pace of life, there’s just something about the fields, the grass, the wildlife; I’m a good old country bumpkin. Had I not grown up with dogs I may have a different view, but I’m glad I have had the privilege to grow up surrounded by these ever trusting animals. I am also aware of how lucky I am to have some many places to walk, perhaps a little less lucky if we get another two foot of snow this year!.


I am also hoping that some of you may be able to help.


Jamie (my boyfriend as pictured above with Rusty) will be running the Great North Run on Sunday 18th September, its 13.5miles and takes place in Newcastle.


He was given the a choice of charitys and he has chosen to run for the Alzheimers society, this is due to the fact that my grandad was diagnosed with Alzheimers ten years ago, since then we have witnessed the awful disease take away everything that made him who he was. 


This is the page we have set up below for fundraising. Please would you have a look, and donate what you can. 


Please feel free to send on this email or pass on details to any other family members. 


Thankyou from us in advance! 


http://www.justgiving.com/Jamie-Earle 

  

A first on both days

Northern Agility Week

So Saturday we were back at the Northern Agility Week, the weather was much better, but Rusty still didn’t seem to have much drive. The courses were lovely, and we ended up with a 2nd, 3rd, 6th and a 1st in Jumping. So we need two agility wins to move up to Grade 7. I am now getting worried about his lack of drive, so it’s something I am going to need to work on, small sequences lots of play and lots of treats. Rusty has also been knocking poles lately, which is out of character so I am going to have him checked by the chiropractor, his next show isn’t until around the 23rd September so we have plenty of time to have some fun. It might just be me being paranoid, but he has grown up with me and taught me everything, I feel it only right that I look into everything when it comes to him.

 Dryburgh Abbey Fun Agility Show

What a brilliant show, and a real credit to those who run it. It really was great for beginners and anybody who had never competed before. I decided to give Lucy the benefit of the doubt and take her into medium jumping 1-4. It was a lovely course, although, however spectacular the venue, there were sheep roaming free around the fields. Lucy’s recall has come on a great deal, but it was still in the back of my mind that there were livestock ready to be chased if she decided to. I took her in, and her focus was great until jump number 4, she decided she would go and sniff around the fence line, so I called her back, and she toddled herself back, after that I made up my own course and finished with her focused and happy. I called it a day at that as I think it’s unfair to put her into situations like that, that I’m not comfortable with, and it’s not fair on her having the temptation right in front of her, especially since it was her first time in a ring. Overall a good day, Rusty came away with a 4th in the agility 5-7, and seemed to be a bit more up for it. I am still pleased with Lucy, she is showing so much more than I ever thought she would, it will be her 8th month with us in October, and I am looking forward to the challenge ahead of me. The atmosphere was friendly, and Thirlestane Castle in Lauder is beautiful, I very much look forward to the next one.

O.k. mum, if I have to

After 9 weeks, I threw myself in the deep end and competed at Northern Agility Week. 6am, the good old early morning start, and I think rusty knew where he was going, unfortunately I live in the Northumberland area so most shows are usually upwards of an hour away. We had an easy drive this morning apart from the weather which was dreadful. It rained the whole way there, and was still raining when we found the venue, it was then I realised I had trainers and wellies, great; I was going to have to be an acrobat to stay on my feet. 

My first class was medium agility combined 1-7, usually a fast flowing course designed for the average dog and handler.  The judge was Bob Lewis, the course itself was a nice course, maybe more so if the ground hadn’t been all mud and no grass. Rusty started off well, and quick, but I almost slipped at the third fence, knocking my confidence to run fast. He missed the weave entry, so consequently after putting him back through I was in the wrong position for a ‘out’ command and he jumped it the wrong way. To be fair I wasn’t all that bothered as he hit all his contacts. The weather got out and the ground started to dry quick, meaning I could wear my wellies. The next class was medium jumping graded 5-7, a lovely course, a little bit of a tricky start, I wound rusty up to try and get him moving a bit quicker. I fear now, that after turning seven yesterday he is starting to do it to please me rather then doing it for himself as well, I am now so careful with him not to sicken or flatten him with it. He did a lovely clear round, my timing was slow, I’m so out of practice, I could hear myself in my head saying ‘why did you do that’, I was doing things that I teach people in my class not to do!. Typical!. We ended up with a good 32 seconds and a 1^st, so I was more than happy with him. 

The next couple of classes were not so good, I think it was down to the fact that he was tired, I was tired, and we had a bit of a concentration lapse during the medium agility graded 5-7 (of course it would be the one course and class I needed to win to get me out of the hole that is grade 6). I didn’t trust him and pushed him too wide to the tunnel, and he gained a refusal, the rest was absolutely lovely, kicking me while I was down, even though we came 2^nd.  Another unlucky run came when he clipped the top of the wall in medium jumping combined 1-7, where we ended up 6^th. Overall though, I was so happy with the fact we haven’t done it in such a long time and he listened and he did well, I still don’t miss the early mornings though, and the long waiting, but nothing beats seeing the smile on your dogs face when they do it right, (even when you have to pretend), and the smile on yours when you find out you’ve placed. I have uploaded all of today’s runs onto YouTube, more for my benefit really; I wish I had videoed from when we first started. 

Watching back now, the only disappointment I have, is in myself, I let him down time after time, but then I can see how in-tune we are, and its then you realise, you could run whatever course you want, regardless, at that moment in time, (forget the judge, people, dogs, weather) you and your dog are as one. 

As sentimental as it sounds. Nothing else will get that bond. 

Ravenriver Rock. A.K.A Rusty

Rusty is my sporting Cocker Spaniel, the name Raven River agility comes from his kennel club name Ravenriver Rock, I thought it only fitting to name it after him, as he is the reason I am involved in a sport I love. 

Rusty originally belonged to my late grandma; however he always seemed to have a soft spot for me. I think that was due to the fact that I used to do all the obedience and trick training with him when he was a puppy. Rusty is like an extension of me, like another arm, he seems to know what I’m thinking what I’m about to do.

We got him as a puppy at 13 weeks old, and he was small enough to fit through the baby gate that was placed on the kitchen door. I fell in love with him as he was an amazing dog even at 13 weeks. I was 13 at the time, and had never really looked into any sort of doggy activities.

The first time I ever saw our potential as a team was at a local country show, I entered him into the sporting dog category against about 40 other dogs, I had no idea what I was doing, but some way or another we won! After that I was hooked and began naively entering him into local shows, and also the larger affiliated shows, I always did very well in the handling classes (where I am judged) but could never seem to do well in the breed classes.

It was then that I was introduced to the marvel that is the breed standard. Unfortunately my dog is a sporting Cocker Spaniel; he’s white and lemon, with a powerhouse for a body. Not a show dog.

By then I had also discovered the pinnacle that is Crufts, and for me, that was my ultimate goal. So I joined the Young Kennel Club in March 2005 and have never looked back. Though my parents began to realise, as did I, that I was somewhat wasting my time with dog showing, but  I was stubborn enough to continue for a little while longer until eventually it happened, in the November of 2005, I qualified for the YKC Handling competition at Crufts. Even to qualify was an amazing experience, but then to attend the biggest dog show in the world for the first time, well, I was hooked. Needless to say my inexperience and nerves got the better of me and we didn’t place, but Rusty did everything I asked of him, and put on a stellar performance.

After that the dog showing dwindled out, but I continued to enter him into the local country shows, doing well in any sporting categories, as he is a brilliant example of a working dog.

Whilst all this was going on, I had also signed him up to Pet London Models, I thought this was a good idea at the time as I found very quickly that his obedience training meant he was amazingly well behaved in front of a camera and when placed in various situations he never faltered. In-fact in some instances I am sure he sees the camera and actually poses.

But not expecting anything to come of it, I was surprised that 6 months after signing he got his first job in Leeds, for Morrison’s pet food packaging. Rusty was brilliant, he’s like plasticine, you can just mould him and leave him, he’s every photographers dream. From this stemmed his side career of modelling. To date he has done various jobs, the latest one being the Elddis Caravan brochure. Rusty also signed to Boho Models, the first dog in the North East to do so, and from that we got a full page 3 spread in the Chronicle Sunday Sun.

Another amazing turning point came when we auditioned for Europe’s Top Dog, to be broadcast on Sky’s Animal Planet. I thought nothing would come of it as there were thousands of dogs, but in 2007 Sky sent a crew to my house to film introductions. Then we were invited down to take part in the show. It was a wonderful experience where we placed 2^nd in our heat, but he did really well and won two of the five games during the show.

Then in 2009, I entered the Shaun McAlpine Award, and I won the over 12 age group, and again went to Crufts to receive my award, it’s an achievement I am very proud of.

Rusty has also taken part in a one to one session with a local gundog training club, being 6 years old at the time I was skeptical as to whether he would do well. Long behold he proved me wrong again, and did everything that was asked, bringing out his brilliant breeding. Rusty also worked well to the whistle, despite never being taught with one, picked up every dummy, and quartered the ground lovely.

By then I had also began agility training at North Northumberland dog club with Jim Wright, and 4 years later here I am. My first year of shows were somewhat inconsistent due to his speed, but now in the last year and a half we have gone from grade 1 to 6, and perhaps achieved the best thing to date.

After sending away my points for the year to the Young Kennel Club, Rusty was within the top 20 medium dogs in the country and we were invited to take part in the Medium Agility Final. To say I was nervous is an understatement, everything we had worked for came down to this, I was 2^nd last to go, and we had been given enough time to walk the course twice, I had it straight in my head and just wanted to get in and run. When it came to my run, I knew Rusty was going to be quick, and that he was itching to go off the start line. Once I said go, my nerves lessened and Rusty took off quickly, I got more and more excited as he cleared each jump, hit each touch point, and sped though the 12 weaves, 3 jumps from the end I heard the commentator say ‘their in the lead’, and perhaps it was that, or the crowd screaming us on, but a lapse in concentration meant my dog, instead of bearing left over the last jump, went on to go through the tunnel. Consequently getting eliminated. To say I was gutted, was a BIG understatement, I beat myself up for weeks afterward, if only I had just moved a little quicker at the last, or pointed the last jump out. Then to make matters worse, I found that had he jumped that last jump and gone clear, we would have won. (You can see the clip on the ‘videos’ page of this website).

I still think about that run, but then I remember how well he had done to get there, achieving his Agility Warrant Bronze in the process.

Rusty is now 7, but I seem to be in denial about him getting older as I cannot think what it would be like if he was not here, he continues to be the best dog anyone could ask for. A great companion, leader, and astounding all round dog. To date he has done so many amazing things, he has brought me the confidence I have today with dogs, and never stops giving. Rusty also visits the local Care Home as a Pets As Therapy Dog, and he brings so much joy with his personality and nature.

A bit of a blog

Taken from my website, anything that I write now will be updated directly onto here.

Back to the basics- 25^th August

So agility stared again on the 23^rd August and we have a lot of new starters, it’s so nice to see so much interest in the sport and so refreshing when I hear people say ‘actually I just want to do it for fun’. That’s what I’m here for!. I read so many things nowadays with people complaining about various things in agility, and I would never dare put my opinion forward as my age would diminish any credibility, it worries me that if any new starters began to research and look into the sport that they would be put off. I have found that whilst people would not like to believe it, at times it is very lonely sport, unless you are part of a club where other members attend or you happen to know someone who knows someone.

Having competed since I was 14, I think once the initial ice is broken (as such) it becomes easier as the years pass, but I am thankful that I now know club members and have made friends. Don’t get me wrong I don’t have the answer on how to make shows more newbie friendly, but all I’m saying is when you walk past someone who looks worried and on their own than ask them if they need help, if you get a mouthful of abuse or a dirty look, than so what, at least you tried. I speak from personal experience of being at a show with just my dad, no clue what I was doing, not knowing anyone, waiting in the queue for a junior class, as they all flew round like pros with dog after dog, after dog, and feeling extremely intimidated stood with my little treat bag and just my ONE little newbie dog.

Who would think that I would be where I am today, (still chugging along with my one little dog in grade 6).

Any newbie’s reading this, don’t be put off, it’s a very rewarding sport for you and your dog. (Even in torrential rain or freezing weather).

But for every hour I spend teaching other people I feel that I am neglecting my two spaniels as I have done very little with either of them. I don’t worry about Rusty who’s a grade 6 as he tends to thrive after a good break, but Lucy is not getting as much one on one training as I would like. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, I cannot train her during teaching sessions, but then I cannot teach her at home because more often than not the jumps are left at the centre and I cannot transport the contact equipment. I am also conscious of the fact that my third year at university begins at the end of September and I would like to have her confidently doing courses by then. University brings with it a whole host of new issues, no more so than timetable, at present I have no idea where I stand with being able to teach classes after September, which is a worry, not to mention the workload and the constant drone of the dreaded ‘what are you going to do when you leave’ voice. I don’t know yet! That’s 90% of the problem. Anyone fancy lending me enough money to build a massive agility complex? No? then I suppose I will have to reconsider my life plan. All I can say is one way or another it will involve dogs.          

A drop in temperature – 21^st August

Well, America was amazing, one of the best holidays I have ever been on and so unbelievably hot (all of the time). If only it was less than 10 hours on a plane then its rating as a holiday destination for me would treble.

Most people come home with pressies and maybe jetlag, not me, instead I came home with flu. Needless to say that this put my training on hold with my own two dogs, who having been in kennels for three weeks were less than impressed that their mum was asleep on the sofa most of the time.

After a couple of days I ventured out into what felt like the Artic (I was used to 106 everyday) and took the dogs for a walk down our local route. To cut a long story short I ended up walking 5 dogs but coming back with 6. I must also explain here that where we walk runs parallel to an opencast and also a large railway track, so to see a dog loose is unusual. It was a dog that I have never seen in Widdrington let alone down the tip road (our nickname for the route). A young dog, less than two was the epitome of a crossbred, smaller than a Spaniel, the head of a German Shepherd, body of a Corgi, and beautiful pristine white feet. So the fact there was not one speck of mud anyway nor under its nails we established it could not have come across any fields. We drove round for around 4 hours, no one was looking for it, no one had ever seen it before, and no one was asking for it at local stores. After various attempts I couldn’t pin down anything that would suggest this dog was actually lost. Unfortunately I am not a big fan of current rescue systems as this is not the first dog I have found, and my experiences are not great. When it was collected no microchip was found, and he is currently residing in kennels. (Although I intend to follow it up, as it was a lovely little dog, and had I been in different circumstances then I would have adopted him myself).

Let’s hope whoever felt the need to dump him has a few sleepless nights, or if indeed he was lost, then let’s hope they learn their lesson and avoid this by buying a collar and getting him chipped.

So I will be unavailable for nearly four weeks whilst I am away, a week in New York followed by just over two weeks in Florida, to say I am excited is an understatement, of course my dogs will be a big miss! I am hoping to see if I can go to a couple of competitions/dog related things and see how they do it across the pond.

 NESSR Fun Weekend 16th- 17th July 2011

Having planned for weeks leading up to this event, contacting trade stands, displays, creating posters for the agility and also plugging it online, the weekend finally came about. Not only did I take the job of the have-a-go agility I also had my boyfriend and brother running the trade stand, Profleece bedding, which did better than I thought considering it was never really unpacked properly over the two days. Of course, beautiful weather Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, could only mean one thing? Right? Wrong! It didn’t just rain, it poured all day Saturday from 8am till about 7pm. I couldn’t believe it, so much hard work put in by so many people, despite this there were some brave souls who came out and supported NESSR. Everybody kept a smile as at the end of the day it’s for the dogs, I ended up with around 30 people who had a go at the agility before I called it off at 3pm. So I am grateful to those that ventured out. Sunday was a little better with intermittent bits of sunshine, there was more people, and there were around 41 people that had a go at the agility. The police dog display proved quite the crowd puller (Video available on Facebook and YouTube). Along with all the other trade stand and displays that were brilliant.

Let’s just hope for nicer weather for future events.

 Last training sessions July 14th and July 19th 2011  So it was the last Thursday and Tuesday class for a while, and everyone seems to be having fun. When I first set up the classes I never envisaged how well they would go. Unfortunately due to the fact I am a full time university student I am limited to how much time I can put in, which has also meant my own two dogs training has dwindled. It is so rewarding to see the dogs at week one, and see them improve week by week, doing things that their owners never thought they would, that’s why I do it, and that’s why I enjoy it. I hope everyone has a good summer and I look forward to classes returning in late August. Felton Village Fair - July 9th 2011So having shown my Cocker Spaniel for around 3 years when I was about 13 years old I have a good idea about what goes on at village and country shows when it comes to the companion dog show. Though I never thought I would be asked to actually judge one, so after being asked by the lovely Grace, I agreed to judge the Felton companion dog show, it was only as the weeks began to fly by that I became slightly nervous and doubt the fact I knew anything. I have always joked that during the Crufts group judging I can pick out the top 4, (sometimes in the right order) and usually win a bet with my family. So I did what anyone would do, I Googled it, did a little bit of research, and before I knew it the Saturday came around. Good old British weather, one minute blistering sunshine, the next the biggest thunderstorm and heaviest rain you've ever seen. So looking out the window, I came to a dilemma, what do I put on, do I go over the top smart and end up looking rather silly, or do I dress for the weather?. I decided my best option was a smart jacket, twinned with my posh Hunter willies.When I arrived it was just as I had remembered, everyone made me feel very comfortable and once I got into the swing of it I was fine. It is quite easy to tell who does it on a regular basis, whose dogs were experienced and whose dogs were pets. It can be something as simple as the lead they’ve chosen, or the way they stand their dog when they come in (or if they stand them at all). I thought I did a pretty good job, and judged with good merit (there seemed to be no complaints), the Best in Show I chose was actually a winner at Crufts. (So I must have done something right). I did enjoy the occasion, but I know what it feels like to be stood on the other end of the judge, I also appreciate the hard decisions judges have to make when there are several very good dogs. So unfortunately I don’t think anybody will see me later in life as a judge at anything other than a companion show.