Ora the Pit Bull

Its that time of year again folks, the snow has started to fly and the ground is getting hard and cold. For those of you with short haired, high energy dogs this mean its time to shift gears and find an indoor activity to keep your dogs exercised and mentally stimulated.

When Ora came to us I tried all the usually things to get through to her and work on training. They all fell short and I was running out of ideas. I had never had a dog so driven and with so much energy. I started reading about various canine sports, especially schutzhund and how they worked with dogs to build focus and drive. From this reading I pulled bits and pieces and put them to work with Ora and she responded immediately by displaying operant behavior.

As luck would have it I was building a solid foundation for playing disc, or more generally a solid foundation for life that involved exercise, mental stimulation, confidence building and bond building. I had always played tug with my dogs and thankfully never bought into the hype that tug was “bad”. Im sure you have all heard people claim that tug was bad because it brought out aggression, if the dog won it would think its superior to you blah blah blah. The only good excuse I have heard to date for not playing tug with your dog (note I did not say puppy) is that the human wasnt strong enough and her dog was a rottie. Since I have a rottie as well, I can sympathize with a 110lbs of dog tugging and flailing at an item your trying to hold, but where there is a will there is a way and I would still try and find a way to play tug with my dog, its just too powerful of a tool to not try and take advantage of.

Since my immersion into the game of tug as a training tool a couple years ago I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet Ron Watson from pawsitivevybe.com who has mastered the game and its use as a tool for training. He has a few articles and videos on the subject so if you have a few minutes to spare I recommend checking them out. Its never too late to start and even dogs who dont naturally play tug can be taught to play and usually love it. I have had quite a few fosters over the years that didnt know how to play tug, at least with a human, but once they learned they loved it.

Saturday Sept 19th the MNDDC was invited to hold a competition at Richfields Cattail days. It turned out to be quite warm for being so late in the season and all the dogs seemed to have a blast. We brought Ora along to get her disc on but I opted to sit the event out to help with judging and what not. Luckily Amy got the bug so she was eager to take the field for both distance/accuracy and freestyle.

We had a great turnout for the day and got to see some nice routines. It was kind of bitter sweet event though since our disc season was at an end. As we packed up the club trailer and got loaded everyone said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Looking back however, this was an amazing year in so many ways. Oras illness and continued recovery still has me amazed. To this day she still seems to grow in strength and it gives me great hope knowing that she may recover enough to take to the air.

The club also made some great showings attending a couple national events in force and 2 of our club members where even invited to Chine to compete in a major competition over seas. There were so many things learned and many new faces, human and canine alike, that got involved this year for the first time. Its truly a joy to see the club grow and expand. New people from all over the state, and beyond, join us to play with their dogs and build the bond!

This my friends is what a happy dog looks like. Once again the MNDDC put on a truely awesome spectacle of support, fun and camaraderie that I have to say is not very common in todays society. Its like one big extended family that actually likes to be together. People of all shapes, sizes and ages converge and celebrate the bond between human and dog.

The festivities actually started Friday night where many of us got together at Bluff Valley campground where the event was held. An evening of socializing and fun followed by a long day of competing. Saturdays event consisted of the MNDDC Freestyle events and the MNDDC Catch 22 event. This was the clubs largest event to date and each event was broken down into two divisions, Novice and Pro. Ora and I competed in Catch 22 Pro class where we took first place last year. With the turbulent winter and slow recovery has put our training in kind of a holding pattern but none the less we were able to sneak out a 5th place in a field of 26 teams. That was better than I expected we would do and I was so proud of my little girl.

Initial registration for novice freestyle was a little light so with some coaxing from me I was able to convince my lovely wife to take the field for novice freestyle. Apparently she wasnt the only one affected by peer pressure to take the field since the field blossom from 2 entries to 8. Amy doesnt work with Ora so doesnt really know how to cue up her tricks etc but none the less was able to pull off some nice tricks and Ora was able and willing to motor around and catch some plastic to pull off a 3rd place novice placing for their efforts.

Saturday evening started out with 2 live bands, Ghost hand Punch and Blurry followed by a presentation from the club members who ventured out to Colorado a few weeks earlier. We took the opportunity to Present our current club president JG with some fine, one of a kind, hand crafted discs which was followed up by a nice little “Roast” which caught him by surprise and was quite the laugh.

Sundays events consisted of the states fasted dog competition in the chase and recall as well as a UFO Long shot event. We had some insanely fast dogs and some super nice throws to round out the weekends games and I headed home exhausted yet exhilarated at the same time.

Some members brought friends or significant others that had yet to experience the draw of discdoggin and I hope many of them left inspired by what they saw and took part in. It really is hard to describe, its almost something you have to experience first hand. We are all there to compete against each other but at the same time we are there to support each other, cheering for who ever is on the field. Competition or not, win, lose or draw, everyone there is a winner in my book.

If anyone has some free time this coming Saturday, we will be holding the years final competition at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Richfield MN. 9am Registration. 10:00 start time.

If you would like to see more pics from the 2009 MN State Championship weekend, you can Find them here!

Its still a ways out but I wanted to help spread the word. On Oct 25th 2009 the MN Bully Lovers will be hosting the All-American Dog Fest in honor of National Pit Bull Awareness Day. There will be various speakers and events for you and your dog and the MNDDC will be holding 2 demos during the course of the day to help spread the word about the wonderful world of canine disc and how you and your 4 legged friend can get involved.

The Event will be from noon to 5pm at the Training and Community Center 1346 South Robert Street, W. St. Paul, MN 55118. For more details and a list of specific events, and exhibitors please visit the MN Bully Lovers website.

Life in rescue is a turbulent one. The constant influx of dogs, managing volunteers, fosters, vet appts, adoption days, fundraising events, education events etc places many demands, both physically and emotionally, on those who try and coordinate the various rescue activities.

As if the managerial demands where not enough, the powers that be in a given rescue constantly have to try and strike a balance between the rescues available resources, the programs dogs, the well being of its program dogs, its volunteers and even those who would adopt a program dog but also the breed of dog they represent as a whole.

It really is a daunting task to say the least and the only way those on the outside looking in would ever truly understand the pressures imposed would be to live it. In almost every rescue that I can think of there comes a time when tough decisions need to be made.

What exactly is a tough decision you say? Tough decisions come in many forms but one example would be seeing a wonderful dog that needs a home. It stares at you silently pleading for help with its eyes but you must walk on by because you don’t have the resources (ie foster homes etc) to save the dogs life.

Another tough decision is one where a dog that’s been adopted out needs to be reclaimed for temperament or other issues. A much more common tough decision is when you have multiple qualified applicants to adopt a dog and a forever home needs to be decided upon. The toughest of all however is when a decision needs to be made about euthanizing a program dog.

The circumstances behind the decision can vary greatly from situation to situation. It may be ill and the rescue may not have the funds to address the illness. In some cases a dog just may not be behaviorally sound and the rescue does not have the monetary or professional resources to properly deal with an animal and even if they did there is no guarantee it could be managed or improved. In the rare situations something like this happens it becomes a very emotional affair.

When euthanasia occurs often times fosters are involved, possibly aggression and human or other animal damage. The sad truth is that regardless of the circumstances someone always gets hurt, be it physically or emotionally. Everyone involved in rescue is in it for the love of the dogs but not everyone is burdened with having to make the hard decisions that need to be made. The people behind these decisions have the unenviable task of having to choose between multiple no win situations. They not only have the responsibility of the dogs they take in but to the adopters they place dogs with and above all else, the breed and dog owners as a whole.

Making these decisions does not come lightly. They are often not only fettered with immense amounts personal guilt and sadness but concerns about what volunteers will think. Just how much guilt and sadness can also be heavily influenced by the rescues volunteer body and how they react to the news.

With the above in mind this blog post is a big virtual hug to those in rescue that are burdened with making these tough decisions. It is also a plea to those in rescue who do not have the unenviable task of making these tough decisions to be supportive of those who do. Your support, understanding and sympathy during trying times can mean all the difference in the world.

Next time you see one of your rescues directors or decision makers shake their hand, pat them on the back or give them a big hug and simply thank them for what they do. Sometimes the rescuers need a little rescuing too.

Wow does time fly! Its  been a great, albeit difficult year. Ora continues to slowly improve and we have moved beyond just getting her strength and stamina back to working on some new tricks. I know that we will never have a shot at any majors unless Ora can get back in the air so we will just have to wait and see what the future holds. In the mean time she can once again motor around pretty well so we may as well start working on some additional tricks and just enjoy our time together.

With the above in mind our next event will be the Minnesota Disc Dog Club 2009 Club Championship. It will be held at Bluff Valley Camp grounds in Zumbro Mn the weekend of Sept 12th and the 13th. Friday night the tents will get set up for a relaxing evening of BBQ and fun.

On Saturday starting at noon with Freestyle and the MNDDC’s own Catch 22 event. That evening will be followed by more BBQ and socialization along with the return of the Band Ghost Hand Punch and an appearance by Blurry as well. Sundays events will consist of the MN fastest dog competition and UFO Longshot competition.

Oh its One!…Two!…Three! Strikes your out at the Quad…… Ruuuuu….. Ped!

That was the song of the day that the MNDDC brought to the field. One thing about disc doggin is there is a lot of smack talk, but its not your run of the mill stuff. It generally happens between friends and the more experienced teams and if you sit back and watch you can tell that its just plain old fashioned ribbing with a lightness about it.

Poor Ora taking a tumble

The Quadruped is an extreme distance toss and catch game where you throw a disc as far as you can and you dog runs out to get it. Its divided into 3 heats and every one in the first round gets 3 tosses. Each toss that is not caught by your canine team mate is a strike and if you get 3 strikes in a round you are done.

So in light hearted quadruped fashion the MNDDC decided to make the more experienced teams feel right at home by singing them a little ditty based on the song “Take me out to the ball park”. We were equal opportunity about it, men, women and even our own club members got serenaded but as I said it was all in good fun and everyone seemed to get a kick out of it.

The heats are seeded based on a single throw from each human without a dog present. The distance you throw determines where in the order you take your turn. After fridays disc golf outing my long game was pretty consistent if not earth shattering and I felt pretty good. I dont recall just how far my seeding throw was but I was in the middle of the pack out of about 39 teams.

Up at the line with Ora proved to be a bit trickier. She used to be crazy fast and would never lead out more than 15 feet or so but now I knew she didnt have the wheels to get out under a throw if she didnt take more of a lead. In our first round we managed to get one catch out of 3 but it was 10 yards shorter than my seeding throw. It kept us in the running but not for long. The teams with the longest seeding throw, throw last, so the guys who were throwing after me threw farther than me and it only made sense, due to how many guys where in each heat, that one of them would outdue us and knock us into the final chance heat.

Grass stain

The quad is kind of like a double elimination tourney where if you lose you get another chance. The second round heat consists of everyone but the winner of each of the 3 main heats meaning instead of competing against 9 other guys, it was all 36 guys that got knocked out of the regular heats.

By the time we got up I had a couple bad throws and the one throw that was decent Ora didnt have the speed to get under so we struck out and got serenaded with……

Oh it’s One!…..Two!….Three! Strikes your out, at the quad…..ruuu….. ped!

Ora could have cared less, she wasnt doing it for fame or fortune, she was out on the field doing what she loved. Amy also took part in the Quad so Ora really got to do some running. One run down the field for me she had a pretty nasty tumble but didnt miss a beat, got up, grabbed her disc and ran right back to me for another throw. She even got a little grass stain on her head to prove it.

6:00am came pretty darn early Saturday morning after our busy Friday but comp registration started at 8:00 and we wanted to make sure to get a good spot to set up all our canopies so the plan was to arrive at the field at approx 6:30.

Unloading and setting up is always a drag but it was a beautiful morning and the excitement for the days events overshadowed the tedium of dragging our gear across the field and getting set up.

As the teams arrived the excitement began to build. Teams from all over the country had come to compete in this UFO Major event. There were teams from Texas, California, Montana, Ohio, Arkansas and of course Minnesota just to name a few.

Having attended this event the year before I could tell at a glance that this years event was even bigger, no doubt the large contingent from MN this year helped push the field to record high numbers. The Colorado Club did an excellent job putting the event together and making everyone feel welcome.

After last years event I had really hoped Ora and I could compete in freestyle this year but Ora’s medical problems put a damper on that goal. Nonetheless Ora took to the field for toss and fetch, not just for me but for Amy as well. She lacked her blazing speed of years gone by and couldn’t leap for the disc like she used to but she gave us every part of her being running down the discs and doing what she could, not because we asked her to but because she loves the sport.

Canopies stretched for over 100 yards down either side of the field. As your name is called and you make your way out onto the field its hard not to feel a bit nervous, especially since you are surrounded by some of the world’s best disc dog talent. More than once I thought to myself, what the heck am I doing here? We don’t belong on the same field as most of these teams, Ora cant run and jump like the other dogs here and I certainly cant throw like most of the handlers.

I can’t help but wish they all knew about the ordeal we went through over the winter. How that just months earlier just walking across the house was a lot of work for Ora. It’s so easy to get caught up in the competitive aspect of any sport and concern yourself with what other people think but at the end of the day, what really matters, is what your dog thinks of you.

At the end of the day Saturday I can admit I was a bit disappointed in my performance but I was pretty proud of my little pit bull and my wife for taking part in such a major event. For all the smack talk and good hearted ribbing I would be hard pressed to find a better group of people than those that make up the disc dog community. Yet even among the disc dog community I feel certain groups stand out. Maybe I am a bit biased, but the camaraderie, support, inspiration and friendship I have seen from the Minnesota Disc Dog Club is second to none.

Wow, what a weekend! We converged in Littleton CO on Thursday night with 16 members of the Minnesota Disc Dog Club to attend and compete in the 2009 Colorado Canine Challenge. We got out there a day early to try and take in some of the sights on Friday before the weekend events got under way.

Image courtesy of Denise - http://www.denisegabbag.blogspot.com

Some of the group went site seeing but a large contingent of us went to Conifer Park to play a round of Disc Golf. This course was absolutely amazing, the word breathtaking describes it to a tee….both literally and figuratively. At over 7000ft elevation and taking about 3 hours to complete the 20 holes and it left many of us winded on some of the long uphill climes to many of the pins.

It was a half mile hike to the first hole and as we turned to face the pin, this is what greeted us. Even if your not into disc golf, I recommend you give this course a try, its amazing scenery! Make sure to bring some water!

We loaded up the escape and hot the road thursday morning about 5:45 AM to head out to Colorado for the 2009 Colorado Canine Challenge. We met up with the rest of the MNDDC gang in Albert Lea, fueled up again and the 13 of us headed out on the long drive.

As we crossed the Nebraska border into Colorado we were once again this year faced with a massive storm. Lighting flashed across the horizon making for quite the light show. It drizzled a bit and would then come down in sheets making visibility difficult. Often times standing water on the free way made driving treacherous and even stalled one vehicle.

We finally arrived at our hotel about 10:15 PM CO time and after 17 hours on the road it couldnt have come soon enough. We hung out at the hotel bar on the patio till 2:00 chatting amongst ourselves and with some fellow disc doggers from the local club and around the country.