Last year my mom, Doree, attended a leadership retreat for Dog Scouts of America, where Faith became a dog scout, and got the opportunity to earn badges in Steeplechase, Dog Care, and Search and Rescue. Later that year we started to form our Dog Scout troop here in Colorado. Over Memorial Day weekend, we took a 24 hour car trip with four people (Doree, my younger sister Kelsey, me, and our friend Cathi) and four dogs (Gyp, Faith, Pirate, and Little - Cathi’s adorable long haired chihuahua mix, who I say looks like a toy sized Australian red Border Collie) in a Ford Expedition to attend this year’s leadership retreat in St. Helen, Michigan. I am proud to say that Gyp, Pirate, and Little all became dog scouts, and each earned extra badges in various activities.  To learn more about why we got involved in Dog Scouts, read our new page in the Training section.

We came back from the Plum Creek/Colorado Kennel Club dog shows with four new titles and a major! Sadie won Winners Bitch on Saturday for a 3 point major. Shadow, Gyp, and Faith all earned their Rally Advanced (RA) titles, and Faith also got her Companion Dog (CD) title.

Twelve-year-old Kelsey and Gyp have always made a great team. They proved that once again at the Denver Dog Shows where they earned Gyp’s Rally Novice title (RN). They then moved up to the Advanced class where they earned their first leg with a 95 and a 4th place! Way to go!

Gyp and my mom, Doree, passed their Type II FEMA Search and Rescue dog test! I am so proud of all the work they’ve done. Gyp is now eligible to be deployed with FEMA as a SAR K-9, and I know he’ll do a great job if he is.

Gyp turned 5 years old on September 1st, and Faith’s first litter, known as the “Fire” litter just turned 6 months old on September 18th. Happy Birthday boys!

Kelsey showed in the obedience ring for the first time with Gyp. They did very well, getting a 191, at a local match put on by 4-H. Gyp already has his AKC CD, but it was a great learning experience for Kelsey, who will be working with Pirate in obedience and agility in the near future. Watch out for them in your competion rings, this team is going to be great!