Fun and Nostalgia with Dogs

Do you remember the old television series Lassie? Lassie followed Timmy everywhere. She protected him from danger. She could problem solve like a college junior. She never barked inappropriately. She never needed training or grooming, and no one ever had to pick up the back yard! What fun! Those were the days…

Shows like Lassie highlight how delightful a companion dog can be, and they often make the viewers want dogs “just like Lassie.” However, once you have a loving dog of your own, and you don’t have a farm like Timmy or any of the adventures that kept Lassie occupied and happy during the show, you may experience the reality of a dog digging up your yard or chewing your shoes. You may start to wonder what you can do to have fun with your dog.

If you and your dog are a social pair, you may want to inquire about volunteering to bring the healing presence of an animal to people who are shut in– at hospitals, nursing homes or short-term shelters. The Pets In Need Paws & Hearts program links a volunteer and their companion animal with a facility that requests visits. The canine member of the team will need to know basic obedience, and both team members must be comfortable in many situations.

If you enjoy competition, you can begin with the Canine Good Citizen Certificate from the American Kennel Club (AKC). Many AKC dog shows provide an opportunity for people to bring their mixed breed family member for the Canine Good Citizen evaluation and demonstrate that she is comfortable walking through a crowd, meeting strangers of the two-legged and four-legged variety and is unflappable around loud noises.

Obedience competition is open to mixed breed dogs through several national organizations. The challenges range from the five-minute sit/stay, where the dog stays put after the handler walks out of sight, to dramatic timed races through obstacle courses in the increasingly popular Agility competitions. Pets In Need’s Canine College offers classes to help you and your furry family member along either track, and both you and your dog will enjoy better communication and a stronger bond through the time you spend together training.

Locally, the Bay Team hosts agility competitions in the San Francisco Bay Area for mixed breed dogs. In fact they hold some of the largest competitions in the nation. To watch or to get involved with your dog, you can check out www.bayteam.org.

There are a myriad of sports available for dog lovers and their best friends. If you have great aim with a Frisbee and a dog who LOVES to run and catch it, check out www.skyhoundz.com for a schedule of local competitions for people of all ages and their four-legged catchers.

Patience and training can yield amazing results. Pets In Need rescued Rita, a mixed breed dog, in 1999 after she had been hit by a car. Her front leg was surgically rebuilt with a plate and seven pins, and her gradual recovery began at Pets In Need while we looked for the perfect home, which ended up being with Robert. After adopting Rita, Robert paid attention to her natural retrieving instincts and her love of water to guide him with her training. Today Rita is a Frisbee Champion, and the first Pets In Need dog to join the Baseball Aquatic Retrieval Korps, diving for splash hits in McCovey Cove during the San Francisco Giants summertime Sunday home games!

Topping the list of things to enjoy with your dog has to be the moment they greet you with unbridled enthusiasm and unconditional love when you enter the room after a few minutes or a few hours away!

 
Founded in 1965, Pets In Need receives no federal, state or local government support.

Published in the San Mateo County Times, July 20, 2002