To say we’ve been busy is an understatement. We’ve taken our obedience show on the road this spring … Arkansas Backwoods Classic in Searcy, Arkansas in February, Buckeye Battle of the Bulls in Canton, Ohio in March, and, next up, Cowtown Showdown in Fort Worth, Texas on April 18 … with no plans to slow this train down. All of these shows are open to the public. If you love dogs, come out and see us. Learn about the breed. Bring the family. It’s a great experience and we’d love to see you!
We are having so much fun, supporting our favorite breed (Olde English Bulldogges, Shorty Bulls, Frenchies, English Bullies, Americans … you name a Bully, we love ’em all!), our favorite organization, International Olde English Bulldogge Association, and the show hosts – Coalhouse Sykes (Sykes Pups), Tony Clay (North Star Kennels), and Jonathan and Sammie Jo Southerland (Hat Creek Bulldogges). We are meeting so many new and fascinating people along the way and starting to feel a part of a community that only a dog LOVER could appreciate. But we’re also learning. Our ears are to the ground and our eyes are wide open, and we are absorbing every tidbit of knowledge we can from these amazing professionals.
Let me back up and give a personal shout out to Jonathan and Kamria Perrien of IOEBA. Folks, if you haven’t met them, you cannot fully understand the hype about this organization. These are the most genuine, kind people in the dog community. Their love for this breed is authentic and obvious. They represent all that For Love of Dog is about. As the owner of an adorable, athletic, and mischievous Rio Bravo pup, I consider myself fortunate to call them friends.
But I digress. Sue, Trixie, and I have been traveling the IOEBA circuit offering support to the junior and novice handlers. Basic obedience skills (focus, leash handling, heeling, heel-to-halt, pace and gait) are areas we can easily showcase. We’re available during registration to practice with novice handlers in the ring. We set up functional equipment at our booth for anyone who wants to pop in and test out equipment, work on leash handling, heeling, stacking, or other skills. You’ll find us out and about on the floor throughout the day, ready to assist wherever we can lend a hand. Please don’t hesitate to approach us … we love talking through challenges and helping solve problems.
There’s so much more to come at For Love of Dog, and we hope you’ll stick around for the ride. Sue and I have worked hard the past 6 months to set up our training program and establish an independent obedience and disposition test program open to all dogs – no registry requirements, no requirement for spay or neuter, no breed restrictions. Our mission at For Love of Dog is to promote lifelong human/K9 relationships. We will always promote ethical, high quality breeding, but we also love the rescues and All-American breeds and strive to bring out the best in every dog. I preach obedience through relationship and I believe that to my core. Obedience is a direct result of the time and effort you invest in your dog. Our test program offers recognition of those efforts based on merit alone. You and your dog work hard to reach your goals. You earn the reward!
We’re also building a new facility. It’s been a long time coming, but the pieces are coming together. Grand opening TBD, but the dream has taken on action. There’s so much more in the works around here but, for now, I’ll keep a few things under wraps.
We’re excited to shine the spotlight on the crossroads between breeding and obedience. Quality breeding is step 1. Training is step 2. Combined, we build the healthiest dogs with the most stable dispositions. Let’s talk!