Dog News, K-9

2020 AKC Humane Fund ACE Winner: Uniformed Service K-9 / Stella the Bloodhound

Photo: AKC Humane Fund
Photo: AKC Humane Fund

“K-9 Stella” is a three-year-old Bloodhound working for the Tallahassee Police Department Special Victims Unit as a Scent Evidence K-9 with her handler, Paul Coley, CEO of Scent Evidence K-9 and former FBI Forensic Canine Operations Specialist. Stella and Coley have been working cases for their department as well as several federal, state, and local agencies for the past two years.

Along with her handler, Stella has worked multiple missing persons cases involving people affected with Alzheimer’s or Dementia wandering off. Stella has an impressive record of confirmed trails leading to the recovery of missing persons in the Florida panhandle. In addition to her work bringing missing persons home, Stella is an essential resource for the Tallahassee Police Department Special Victims Unit, assisting with several criminal apprehensions and is even credited with the apprehension of two double homicide suspects. Continue reading 2020 AKC Humane Fund ACE Winner: Uniformed Service K-9 / Stella the Bloodhound →

Dog Activities

2020 AKC Humane Fund ACE Winners

All week, we’ll be featuring the ACE winners. Here’s the official description of what the awards are about. Over the course of this week, we’ll feature each of the five winners.

The AKC® Humane Fund is proud to announce the winners of the 21st annual AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE). These awards celebrate five loyal, hard-working dogs that have significantly improved the lives of their owners and communities. The five winners were carefully chosen from a pool of more than 800 impressive nominations. The winners and finalists were featured on an AKC.tv special, which aired November 30th-December 4th. All five episodes are now available on demand on AKC.tv.

One award is presented in each of the following five categories: Uniformed Service K-9, Therapy, Service, Search and Rescue and Exemplary Companion dog. This year’s winners range from a Flat-Coated Retriever that excels at dock diving despite missing a paw, to a search and rescue dog who sniffed out human remains dating back to 670 A.D. Continue reading 2020 AKC Humane Fund ACE Winners →

Shelters

Shelter Sunday: Madonna / Citrus County Animal Services / Inverness, FL

Madonna FL

Meet Madonna! What a great name for a dog going into Christmas week.

This beauty is deaf and can do well in a home with both children and other dogs. Here’s what her rescuers have to say about her:

Not many ever achieve the designation of “Rock Star” in play groups but Madonna has! The play group leader says she is social, tolerant, and playful. She has taken on the role of “Greeter/Helper”. She uses a few different play styles in the groups depending upon who she is playing with. She can play Gentle/Dainty, Push/Pull, and Rough/Rowdy. She is a confident player and is good at avoiding conflict and removing herself from pressure. She has excellent social skills and the group leader uses Madonna to help him test other dogs. She’s so sweet and absolutely loves the attention that she gets from volunteers and staff. What a lovely girl!

Madonna is easy to leash up and very eager to please her handlers. She walks very nicely on the leash. She is super friendly to people and likes to cuddle. She is deaf but seems to connect and understand people and other animals. She is an adult age 2-6 years old and weighs 51 pounds.

MADONNA’S ADOPTION FEE IS SPONSORED VIA THE “SPONSOR ME HOME” PROGRAM!

Madonna is currently a guest of Citrus County Animal Services in Inverness, Florida. If you’re lucky enough to be nearby, why not contact them and ask to meet Madonna and all of her friends. You can find them on Facebook or call (352) 746-8400.

Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!

Puppies

Pandemic Puppy Scam

Tips to avoid a scam:

Never buy online. You want to see both the puppy and its parents up close and in person.

Ask lots of questions of the breeder, and expect them to ask you questions, too.

A reputable breeder will not have more than 2 – 3 breeds they deal with. They should be experts in the breeds they sell.

A reputable breeder will not have more than a litter or two at a time. Puppies are a lot of work, and giving them a proper start in life requires a lot of time.

Make sure you see health records of the parents and the puppy.

Expect the breeder to have a waiting list.

Know that you may not get a puppy quickly. This is a 10 – 15 year commitment, so you don’t need to finalize the decision today. Take the time to get it right.

Last, but not least, NO PUPPIES UNDER THE CHRISTMAS TREE!

Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!

Dog Advocacy, Holidays

No Puppies Under The Tree

1 Comment
BigStock Photo
BigStock Photo

As Christmas creeps ever closer, it’s time for my annual reminder that puppies make lousy gifts. Like bunnies after Easter, puppies end up being abandoned in droves soon after the holiday excitement fades.

Although everybody loves a cute, cuddly puppy, many people aren’t prepared to have their carpets peed upon, and their shoes chewed up. Continue reading No Puppies Under The Tree →

Dog Activities, Dog Shows, Training

2020 AKC Agility National Championship Winners

Photo: AKC
Photo: AKC

The 2020 AKC Agility Invitational took place December 12-13, 2020 in Orlando, FL in conjunction with the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin, demonstrating the highest level of training and teamwork between dog and handler. The top five dogs in each breed received an invitation to compete in this prestigious event. In addition, the agility competition for junior handlers was held for the tenth year.

Coverage of agility is available at AKC.tv.

Five agility dogs and their owners – one dog/handler team in each of the five height categories – were crowned as the 2020 winners of the AKC Agility Invitational, which brought together 608 dogs from across the country. Continue reading 2020 AKC Agility National Championship Winners →

Dog Activities, Dog Shows, Training

2020 AKC Rally National Championship Winners

Photo: AKC
Photo: AKC

Competitions were held December 11-13, 2020 in conjunction with the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

If you’re not familiar with rally, think of it as any team sport: You and your dog navigate a course, side-by-side, as you steer him through a course of 10-20 different signs. Each of these signs provides instructions regarding the next skill that is to be performed. The dog and handler move continuously throughout the course with the dog under control at the handler’s left side. There is a clear sense of teamwork between the dog and handler both during and between the numbered signs. Although each performance is timed, having a good race time is not the goal; it’s all about working as a team while performing the skills, with the dog under control. Continue reading 2020 AKC Rally National Championship Winners →

Dog Activities, Dog Shows, Training

2020 AKC Obedience National Championship Winners

Photo: AKC
Photo: AKC

From the AKC:

The National Obedience Championship is a two-day event and is by invitation only for the top-ranked dogs of each breed. It was held held December 11-13, 2020 in conjunction with the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. Continue reading 2020 AKC Obedience National Championship Winners →

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