For several months Kanzu has been in training to become a Therapy Dog. Therapy dogs volunteer with their owners to visit settings such as schools, hospitals and nursing homes. They are different from Service Dogs who are specially trained to perform specific tasks to help a person with a disability. Kanzu had participated unofficially in some of Linda’s speech therapy sessions with her speech clients. The children especially love that Linda has used her speech therapy skills to teach Kanzu to ‘speak’. It was a natural transition then to make his therapy visits official.

Many organizations provide testing and accreditation for therapy dogs. We chose to affiliate with Love on a Leash because there is an active local chapter headed by Elicia Casey and Chris Ashton of Enlighten Dogs who we know well through their work with Ema.

In the fall of last year Kanzu took a training class with Elicia and Chris. In December he passed a repeat Canine Good Citizen Test and additional observation and testing by a Therapy Dog Evaluator to make sure that Kanzu could handle situations he might encounter in therapy settings such as; sudden loud or strange noises, people with canes, walkers or wheelchairs, or unusual styles of walking or moving, etc.

We then embarked on our 10 supervised therapy visits. Kanzu has had a good time visiting schools and classrooms for emotionally, physically and developmentally disabled children. He has been a great sport and very patient with the children who we have to watch carefully at times. We still laugh at the one rather large girl had to be redirected when she started to climb onto Kanzu’s back and asked, “Can I ride him”. (At least she asked!) Kanzu enjoys doing his tricks for the kids, including talking, bowing, shaking and giving high fives. But we think he likes his visits to the local retirement home the best. There he has some special friends who really enjoy him and he gets to just lie down and get petted.

Kanzu’s supervised visits are now completed and he is a Certified Pet Therapy Dog with Love on a Leash. Kanzu and Linda will be able to do visits to any facility that requests Kanzu’s services. After 50 visits Kanzu will be eligible for the new AKC therapy Dog title (THD) that was established recently to acknowledge the contributions of therapy dogs who have worked to improve the lives of the people they have visited.

For more information about Therapy Dogs Click here/p>

For more information about Love On A Leash
http://www.loveonaleash.org/

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Kuyu’s second foray into the conformation ring was a fun and new experience. At the Antelope Valley Kennel Club show (May 25, 2012-Day 1 of the Mission Circuit shows) with Mike handling, Kuyu was the only puppy in the Rhodesian Ridgeback 6-9 month class yielding a ‘Best Puppy’ win for the breed. At this show the club was holding a Best Puppy Competition so the Best Ridgeback Puppy win earned Kuyu a chance to compete in the Puppy Hound Group. Our friend Curtis Freeling took over as Kuyu’s handler for the group. There were 13 dogs competing in the hound group. Even after a very long day of showing and shopping with lots of noise and stimulation, Kuyu entered the ring with Curtis and showed as if he had been doing this forever. Judge John Shoemaker narrowed his choice for best puppy in the hound group to two puppies, a Beagle and the Ridgeback, Kuyu. It was thrilling! In the end, Kuyu earned a group 2 in the hound group (second place). The judge commented on how difficult and close his decision was in an almost apologetic tone. But we were thrilled with this placement and the opportunity for Kuyu to compete with so many representatives of the hound group.

 
 
 
 

The Spring Issue of The Ridgeback Register (April 2012) prominently features Kanzu on the cover as “America’s first and only Grand Champion Triple Champion Rhodesian Ridgeback. The Ridgeback Register is known primarily for promoting show dogs and this issue marks the first time the magazine editors have chosen to feature a performance dog on the cover. The issue includes a two page article by Theresa Lyons, the publisher of the magazine entitled “Shaking up the Stereotype”. Theresa chronicles Kanzu’s career and concludes that “Kanzu proves that form really does follow function”.
 
Shaking Up The Stereotype
Ridgeback Register Spring Issue, April 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Kuyu (Bakari Tigris African Legacy) lived up to the ‘Bakari’ name (One With Great Promise) when he debuted in his first conformation show just one week after turning 6 months old. And following his Tigris legacy, Kuyu was shown by his father’s breeder/co-owner and his own co-owner, Mike Patterson. We entered the Apple Valley Kennel Club Show on May 13, 2012 under hound owner and judge Lou Gurrero to expose Kuyu to the ring and to gauge his current show skills. To our surprise and pleasure, Kuyu made quite the splash when he trotted out into the ring with Mike and showed like little pro as if he had been showing forever. He stacked right up for Mike in the 6-9 month class where he was the only puppy. The judge commented to Mike on ‘this puppy’s great spirit’. Then with tail wagging and a ‘look at me’ attitude, Kuyu showed his way around the ring to ‘winners dog’ and his first conformation point.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Many dog owners believe that they train their dogs when they are puppies and then the training is over. But dogs, like people, learn and grow over the entire course of their lifespan. Most of the website and our conformation and performance stories have focused on Kanzu and Kuyu. But Ema has a special place in our pack and she continues to delight everyone who knows her with her ongoing progress and life journey. For reasons that are unclear, Ema had 4 homes before she was 18 months when she came to her forever home with us. See Ema’s Story to learn more about her early days with Linda. Ema’s ‘habilitation’ has been a long but steady and delighting process. As she nears her 8th birthday, Ema has reached yet another amazing milestone.

Accompanying her best friend and dog walker-trainer extraordinaire, Chris Ashton from Enlighten Dogs, Ema attended a pack hike with more than 20 other dogs and their owners-families. Enlighten Dogs hosts a monthly hike or nature walk open to the public for dogs and their people. This hike was at Prospect Park in Redlands and Chris and Ema led the pack. This is an accomplishment that seemed impossible not very long ago. But with Chris as Ema’s leader, she has learned how to be part of a canine pack without dominance and aggression. She has continued to grow and learn and as a result, her world is opening up and she can now have many wonderful new experiences that never would have been available to her without continued training and conditioning.

So, who says your dog is too old to change or learn. And who says you can’t teach old dogs new tricks. Ema is here to tell you she is living proof that even an old dog, who had a very difficult start can learn and change and keep getting better and better. The process isn’t easy but the rewards are well worth the investment .

Click Here for info about Enlighten Dogs pack hikes http://enlightendogs.com/category/free-pack-hikes