Splashdown!
And the dogs are lovin' it!
Just jump. Or fly. Or dive.
But definitely try to join the fun with northern Nevada’s local dog dock jumping team: the High Desert Dive Dogs.
High Desert Dive Dogs, or H3D, is a nonprofit club that was established in 2003 and is dedicated to promoting the safe and fun methods of dog dock jumping.
If dock jumping sounds interesting, or you’re looking for some great weekend entertainment, the Sparks Marina is the place to be during the summer months.
Sanctioned by Dock Dogs and Splash Dogs, H3D welcomes new members to their growing family – anyone with a dog and toy. You’ll find H3D members practicing at the Marina docks on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00am until 2:00pm.
H3D’s President Bob Harmon encourages any dog lover to visit the training sessions, “Our dock jumping club provides positive socializing and mingling for people who enjoy spending time with their dogs at the Marina.”
And speaking of the Sparks Marina, H3D is thankful to the City of Sparks for providing the perfect venue for a variety of activities for families, dogs, boating enthusiasts, fishermen, runners, walkers, picnickers, and most of all, dock jumpers!
H3D members agree, “Many dock jumping clubs are not as lucky as we are to have a Marina in the middle of town. Out of town clubs often visit the Sparks Marina to practice with our club.”
Club membership is simple. A $30 single dog or $40 family/multiple dog membership includes human and canine training, group meetings, and dock jump practice.
Before officially joining the club, adventurous beginners are encouraged to let their dogs take two or three practice jumps anytime during posted practice times. Wednesday evening practice is reserved for experienced members, but cheering spectators are always welcome. The local membership is comprised of approximately 50 adult and junior canine lovers. Club members recently competed at the 2007 Auburn, CA, event and continue to prepare for local events.
Two of the junior handlers, nine-year-old Annie Harmon and 15-year-old Danny Lark and their dogs, Pepper Harmon and Buster Lark, have competed at many events including the Nevada State Fair and the Tamarack Junction.
An assortment of waterdogs will gather for Tamarack Junction’s event, Fun Jump Jackpot - a one-day event scheduled for Saturday, August 4, from 9:00am to 6:00pm where any dog can “give the sport a try” and the Nevada State Fair’s Pro Am competition at the end of August.
Family vacations can be planned around this popular sport due to sanctioned clubs all around the United States including San Diego Dockdogs and Shasta Splash Dogs in California; Southwest Florida Dockdogs; Minnesota Northern Stars Dockdogs; Missouri’s Gateway Dockdogs; Oregon’s Cascade Dockdogs; and Lone Star Dockdogs in Texas. One of the club’s founding families recently relocated to Hawaii and participates in dock jumping there.
Dock jumping is a toy-motivated water sport, but begins with land training. Finding an item your dog will retrieve is the first step. Some dogs like squeaky toys or rubber batons while others prefer balls or canvas rolls. And if you left your dog’s favorite toy at home, you can save the day by popping into Scraps Dog Bakery at the Marina and pick one up from their variety of toys.
If you are at all curious about trying an alternative water sport, H3D suggests you begin by familiarizing your dog with the Marina surroundings, water play, and toy retrieval. As an added bonus for H3D, Scraps Dog Bakery also provides storage space for the club’s dock equipment, plus provides fresh water outside the store for dogs that jog, jump, or walk by.
Another welcoming force to the club and the sport is The Jib Wine Bar, also located at the Marina. Many of The Jib’s patrons sit outside enjoying their beverages while dogs are jumping.
So, does highflying fun sound intriguing? Are you and your spirited canine in search of adventure? For more information contact Bob Harmon at 775-826-9511, log onto www.canyourdogfly.com, or just go jump in the lake!
Peggy Rew is a freelance wordsmith and professional pet nanny from Sparks, NV. She and husband Dale share their humble abode with four feisty felines.
Clinic Survivor
Clinics are great learning opportunities
By Rebekka Rhodes, Reno, NV
Twenty years ago most
folks didn’t even know what a clinic was. Today this popular education style is available from one-day intensives to week-long immersion-style clinics. Clinicians offer an education style that is completely different from local riding instructors, and since they probably don’t know you they can often offer fresh viewpoints to help you and your horse.
Some people find clinics ideal learning venues and prefer them over regular, local instruction. Others leave the clinic experience disenchanted wondering why the clinic atmosphere doesn’t work for them.
First, you have to know how you learn to discover if you are the clinic-going type. If you’re a teaspoon-at-a-time learner and easily overwhelmed with a lot of information, a clinic setting is probably not for you. If you’re a hungry, feed-me-more type, clinics could perfect for you! Most people fall somewhere in-between and can gain some benefit from clinics, but may still be a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information presented.
Learn about the clinician before attending. Most have Web sites where you’ll discover something about the clinician’s philosophy, and training style. What you won’t find out is how well the clinician communicates, or the format and clinic content. Try to discover the rider limit the clinician accepts to see if that’s right for you. In a clinic of 20 riders, you might not get a lot of personal attention. If you can learn well by watching and can follow through with your horse on your own, this won’t be a problem. If you want or need more personal training, or your horse is not ready to be in such a large group, consider a clinic with smaller groups.
Auditing is a great way to watch a clinician in action and learn! Audit fees are usually less than participant fees, and you’ll pick up tips you can take home and try with your own horse. There will come a point where you’ll wish you’d brought your own horse for the clinician’s help with your specific issues.
However you attend, here are some concrete learning tools:
Write it down! Take notes to study later and jog your memory of the day’s events and what you learned. Keep the notebook handy to jot things you remember later.
Talk about it! Telling a friend about the clinic enhances your memory of what you learned and helps your brain “connect the dots” in another way.
Just do it! When you do something, you speak to the kinesthetic side of your learning abilities, allowing you to get the feel of the activities you learned. It’s okay to mentally understand concepts and theories, but you still have to learn to do it, to feel it, and to have good timing.
With these can-do tips for surviving a clinic experience, if it feels right – get out there and sign yourself up and make the most of these valuable opportunities!
Rebekka Rhodes is a clinician, trainer, and instructor from her home in Reno, NV. Certified to teach to advanced levels, her focus is on softness, balance, and communication between horse and human in every situation. Call her at 775-972-9025, or log onto www.centaurgenics.com.
Comfort Counts
Caring for your older dog
By By Victoria Ceretto-Slotto, Reno, NV
It happened
imperceptibly. Our daily walks became shorter and shorter. Eventually, I took each dog separately so that I’d get enough exercise. Ascot, our 14-year-old Jack (Parson) Russell terrier gets winded. Dolli, our American Eskimo rescue (age unknown) limps. Both dogs are hearing-impaired. Overnight, they qualified as senior canine citizens. The time for me to apply years of nursing the elderly to the care of my dogs had arrived.
As your well-loved pet ages, it’s time to think about accommodating his living arrangements to his limitations. But, it’s never too soon to begin.
Here are a few aging-related conditions that will respond to your extra attention:
Hearing Loss
Begin now by teaching hand-signals along with verbal commands. When hearing loss occurs, approach your animal head-on, slowly, to avoid frightening him. Ask your veterinarian to check for wax accumulation in his external ear canals.
Vision Impairment
Your sight-challenged dog will benefit from a structured environment and routine. Avoid leaving obstacles in his usual haunts. Use touch and verbal cues to reassure him. In our area we are fortunate to have a vet who specializes in animal ophthalmology. Ascot had a cataract extraction several years ago, adding quality to his remaining days. (Refer to Dr. Dan Lavach at 775-852-1155.)
Dementia
Hearing loss affects dogs, too. Confusion may cause your pet increased anxiety and behavioral changes. There are medications that may provide some improvement. You should discuss symptom-management with your vet. The importance of a predictable schedule cannot be over-emphasized. As with vision loss, provide comforting touch. When Ascot shows distress, a full-body massage soothes him.
Mobility
Continue to exercise your dog as tolerated. Shorter walks, perhaps two to three times daily are an option. Your vet will show you how to take your animal through gentle range-of-motion exercises to keep his joints moving.
Comfort
Dolli’s joints hurt, but she’s not able to tolerate medications. She needs to be helped onto the bed or couch. If your dog seems to be in pain, consider purchasing an orthopedic mattress (egg crate) that cushions her joints. It’s also important to keep his weight at an optimal level to avoid extra stress on his old “hinges.”
Aging dogs may feel the cold. Ascot has a blanket on his couch and bed to protect him in colder weather.
Incontinence
If your dog begins to show loss of bladder or bowel control, offer frequent opportunities for him to eliminate. Let him outside often, about every two hours during waking hours. This improves his chance of avoiding accidents. In the evening hours, reduce the amount of fluids that he drinks. Remember crate training? Night hours may be a good time to return him to his “den.”
General
Regular veterinary care should be available throughout your dog’s lifetime to prepare for healthy “golden years.” Annual check-ups, vaccinations, and on-going interventions help to assure that problems are caught early and managed for minimal adverse impact. Ask your vet for recommendations regarding optimal weight and feeding considerations, exercise allowance or restrictions, and the hydration needs. All of these will vary based on the animal’s existing medical conditions.
Discuss your dog’s individual issues with your vet. They will be able to provide additional support in the areas of medical or even surgical intervention.
Remember, the quality of life that you provide for your pet will impact your own and your cherished pet will thank you for it.
Victoria Ceretto-Slotto is a registered nurse who has worked for many years with the elderly and as a hospice care nurse. Thank you for this awareness-building article, Victoria!
Elvis T. Dog
A life with a
border collie
By Kathy McCovey, Reno, NV
I got Elvis T. Dog
We put him in the bathroom that first night behind a baby gate so he could hear and see us. He cried and howled for two hours. I kept hoping he’d give up and go to sleep, but as anyone with a border collie knows, giving up isn’t in their genetic make-up. When I gave in, I saw the water dish was spilled on the potty paper, which was now all over him, so he got his first bath and blow dry that night before coming into the bedroom with us!
Elvis has been a fireball all his life; if he wasn’t herding horses (or cats), he was playing ball or trying to get you to play with him. He was a top watch dog, and if you set foot on “his” porch, he figured (and I agreed), you had no business being there if I wasn’t home.
Uncommon to border collies, Elvis has allergies. Three years ago his allergies caught up to him. It was one of those springs where it’s freezing one day and 80 degrees the next. Elvis had been coughing and was a little lethargic. I contributed it to the weather, but when he looked me dead in the eye as if to say, “Mom, I don’t feel good,” I called the vet immediately.
Elvis was diagnosed with double pneumonia. He had a temperature of 106 degrees, our options were 48 hours on massive doses of antibiotics – or euthanasia. Of course, we chose the 48 hours. Due to the diligence and care of our vet, he recovered after a two-week hospital stay.
Elvis never totally regained his lung capacity due to scaring combined with his allergies, so we had to make a life change: he needed to go live in town with my ex-husband, Mike, where he would be free of the dust and allergens the ranch exposed him to. I tease Mike that he’s turned our athlete into a couch potato, but Elvis has really adjusted quite well – he still comes to the ranch for day visits and can run around and swim in the pond in the summer.
Last fall, Elvis suddenly lost weight and his check-up confirmed he had a liver tumor. It isn’t certain how long he has, but we decided to make the rest of Elvis’ life as comfortable and nice as possible.
Elvis has now gained most of his weight back by changing his diet from dog food to human food with beef steak, burgers, and hot dogs. His energy level is as good as can be expected although he has slowed down in the last few months. We can’t be sure if it’s because he’s 12 now or if it’s due to the cancer. The only thing we really notice about the cancer is that his once sleek and trim belly now looks like he’s going to have puppies and he’s uncomfortable resting in certain positions.
We had a party for Elvis on his 12th birthday complete with his five dog buddies, party hats, cake, and hot dogs. Elvis was the only dog that wore his birthday hat throughout the party – even all the way home in the car ride. The other dogs shook or pulled theirs off within minutes. He knew it was his day.
It’s our hope the cancer doesn’t get to the point were we have to euthanize Elvis. It’s a tough decision to have to euthanize one of your “pet family.” I’ve already made that decision for two cats, four dogs, and a horse; and currently, it’s not just Elvis we have to think about – I also have a 26-year-old mare with health issues. She’s been a life partner and has been with me for 23 years, so I hate whenever the thought even crosses my mind. As tough as it is, I know that it is the last act of kindness one can do.
Elvis is an amazing dog to have come through as well as he has with everything he has endured. Today was a warm, beautiful day in the Truckee Meadows and Elvis came to visit. He and the old mare got a warm bath and grooming, and were both looking good and feeling marvelous. I thank God and feel we are blessed everyday that my pup and ol’ girl are still with us, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
Reader Kathy McCovey sent this thoughtful article about her special dog to PetFolio. Thank you, Kathy, for sharing how deeply our animals touch our lives!
Call Me Bob
Nevada’s
not uncommon
cat
By John Tuomala, Reno, NV
A recent visit to the
Animal Ark gave me the opportunity to see a feline denizen of northern Nevada up close. The bobcat (Felis rufus) normally avoids people, but like the coyote, urbanization can and does result in close encounters.
Bobcats can be found throughout most of the United States, though in some areas they have been re-introduced after having been previously hunted to near-extinction. The bobcat is no longer considered an endangered species, and in some states may be hunted legally.
Approximately twice the size of a domestic cat (16 to 30 pounds), the bobcat gets his name from his short (about 6 inches) and stumpy “bobbed” tail. Like his close cousins, the European and Canadian lynx, the bobcat has tufted ears and hind legs that are longer than its forelegs, giving it a bobbed appearance when running. Its coat varies in color, tending to match the terrain of its habitat. Lighter-colored bobcats are found in desert or semi-desert areas such as northern Nevada, while the darker-coated cats are usually seen in mountainous or forested regions.
All bobcats except for rare melanistic (all black) ones have the distinctive pattern of black bars or spots on their coat. A bobcat’s track shows four toes and no claw marks.
Bobcats most commonly prey on rabbits and hares, but have also been known to eat mice, squirrels, birds, insects, fish, and less commonly, domestic fowl, cats, and dogs. Bobcats have very few enemies aside from humans (and their automobiles).
The bobcat is often referred to a wildcat, though it’s not a close relative of either the European (Felis sylvestris) or the African (Felis lybicus) wildcat. This nickname most likely derives from the bobcat’s tendency to become a feline buzz-saw when in danger. This is no doubt the source of the old American expression: “he can whip his weight in wildcats”, supposedly the ultimate compliment to a frontier scrapper the likes of frontiersman Davy Crockett.
During both World Wars, the U.S. Army had the 81st “Wildcat” Division, whose divisional shoulder patch bore a black bobcat.
This insignia, so the story goes, had its origin in a melanistic bobcat encountered by soldiers of the 81st Division while on a training exercise in South Carolina in 1917. Eventually captured, the cat was turned into a unit mascot and was admired by the division’s troops. Not being allowed to take the cat with them when they shipped out for France, they commemorated their beloved mascot with what some believe to be the U.S. Army’s first divisional shoulder patch.
Bobcats, even when adopted as kittens, are extremely difficult to tame, due to their natural fear of humans. Those that I observed at the Animal Ark kept trying to hide from my camera. I was able to get photographs only through the assistance of a helpful staff member.
Though not generally dangerous to people (unlike the cougar), it should be noted that the fool who corners a bobcat will pay the price. That having been said, keep in mind that as humans encroach further into the natural habitat of this independent creature, chances become ever greater for contact.
Bobcats, are no longer endangered. Hopefully, we will be able to keep it that way.
John Tuomala is a former U.S. Army soldier and Reserve officer with no previous writing experience. A hard-core cat lover, he lives and works here in Reno, NV.
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