My Zealous Zohé

Zohé the Labrador was my very first Agility dog, and the first dog I ever competed with.  The challenges were many, as you can see in this video from July of 2006, but we had such a fun ride training and learned SO much together.  I haven’t been able to find any other video of her running but I’m still looking.  This was actually her first time competing after we took a year off from training when she first injured her knee but before she tore her ligament completely and had to go through surgery and retirement. The only reason I know this is because someone actually commented it on the video  I noticed she was a bit slower and her weave poles didn’t have the great rhythm I remember.  The first video is SO TOTALLY her: all mischief and just trying to take me out on course!  Seeing her run in her wild and abandoned way, reminded me WHY I decided to retire her after surgery rather than risk going back – she had no regard for her body, or MINE for that matter. The second was one of our nicer ones and boy was I happy with it (please pardon my exuberance and of course the funny hairdo!) Hope you enjoy it!

To give everyone some perspective, Zohé is my 14 year old girl.  She’s slower, and though she’s still very active, playful, full of mischief and as spoiled and rotten as before, I no longer get to run her in agility…I must admit I miss it so much sometimes even though I remember clearly the many times I cried (yes, I used to get HORRIBLY nervous for trials!) after one of our more horrible runs or embarrassing moments. Still, I think I would let her knock me over again in a heart beat if we could be on the startline together again…We agility people are surely suckers for punishment!

The lesson of course: Enjoy every moment, the good and the bad – all of them pass and you’ll miss them like crazy! Besides, as my friend Gail Storm says:  ”The Real Joy is in the privilege and ability to step to the start line with your dog by your side not  in crossing the finish line victorious over others.”

I miss running with you my Wild Child, and I’m glad to have you with me still!  To many more good times together!

HELP US KEEP MINNIE RUNNING! – UPDATED 2-6-12

UPDATE 2-6-12:

First Off, THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to Minnie’s Fund and to all those who have written us with words of encouragement and support, as well as those of you who have shared her information with your friends and contacts.  The response has been incredible, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude!  So far, Minnie’s Fund stands at $2905!!!!!  The total for her surgery will be at least $3800, not counting additional visits and medication expenses, so we have only $895 to go!  I contacted her local vet last Friday about the possibility of a payment plan for the difference, so we could go ahead and do the surgery now with the amount we have collected so far.  They regretfully informed us that they can’t offer payment plans other than Care Credit.  I have since contacted our vet in Puerto Rico to see what their position as far as this would be.  I was hoping to be able to go ahead with her surgery, then continue to raise the difference, but it looks like we’ll have to wait until we have the whole amount before we can do it.  In any case, we are extremely happy that we’ll be able to do this for her!

As an additional, fund raising effort, I am planning on having a table set up at the upcoming Free Spirit Trial, to collect donations and to do a small “Garage Sale” and Fundraiser!  We would like to collect gently used objects, doggy related or not, to sell at our Garage Sale. Please donate your gently-used or new Leashes, Bowls, Agility Equimpent, Toys, CDs, DVD’s, Books, in short, anything and everything, to Minnie’s cause!  You can drop-off your donations at Paws In Motion or contact me to drop them off at our home or meet up somewhere.  We’re also considering a Raffle during the trial.  Of course, you are also welcome to bring them straight to the trial!  Also, please help us spread the word, and come to the trial ready for some shopping  Minnie will be at the trial for only a few runs, and this will be her final trial until her surgery.  After that, we’ll have to see when she comes back.

We’d like to thank Paws In Motion and Free Spirit Training Center for their help with Minnie’s Fund, for offering their help and support for this fund raiser activity!  We’d also like to thank Pix’n Pages for allowing us the use of their gorgeous photographs of Minnie for our Thank You note cards.  As I’ve written on many cards this past week, Minnie means the world to us, and words are not enough to express our gratitude for all the support, encouragement and donations.  Thank You everyone!!!!!

Pictures by Pix ‘N Pages

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First off, I hate asking for charity, so if you have need of training services, computer support or web services or know anyone who might, please send them our way. We’d love to get more work! Anyway, many have asked about a donations site for Minnie’s surgery.

Well, here it is: “HELP US KEEP MINNIE RUNNING!”

For those of you who would like to help us raise money for Minnie the Pug’s cataract surgery, here’s a link to a page with the background story and the PayPal Donate buttons. Please help us spread the word, any little bit counts! I’ve already received two quotes of $3000+ for the surgery, since she needs both eyes done!

You can also visit my YouTube channel (gutierse) for more stories and videos of Minnie in the ring. Thanks to everyone in advance for your support!!!!

Fanta Celebrates her Birthday DOCKDIVING at the AKC Invitational!!!!

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Fanta’s Dock Diving training begins I guess if we don’t do well in Agility, we at least have some back-up sports

Since it was her birthday weekend, I felt totally guilty about leaving her behind, while Dennis, me and Minnie went to Orlando, FL for the AKC Agility Invitational.  We decided to bring her along for the road trip last minute, even if it was just for the ride.  On Sunday, we ended up having to bring her to the venue which I thought would be a huge mistake considering this puppy normally can’t even be 100 feet from agility without opening her big mouth!  She was a DREAM in the crating area – even though we had first row seating view of the practice jump!  Phew!  Of course, I had her completely covered with a blanket and our Puerto Rico Flag  Still, she didn’t eat the blanket, her bed or the flag OR bark her head off!  GOOD PUPPY!!!!

Since we had quite a bit of time between runs, and they had open dock on Sunday, I decided to try the Dock Diving with her.  She loves the pool, and had no hesitation at the dock.  The guy manning the dock was pretty impressed that she jumped off on her first time!  We had played on a dock before at the Dog Beach and at Dogs The Show, but nothing quite as high or fancy as this one!  She LOVED it!  Keeping her calm on the line proved to be impossible though, so I finally ended up stepping to the side and letting Dennis make the line for us…Not a good sign for our line ups in agility! She had a BLAST!  We had a second attempt (which a longer jump) that’s not on the video, then our friends Rafo and Indy got a chance to try it.  Well, Ms. Fanta got a little excited waiting for them and decided to take a leap into the pool from the side!  Yup, she cleared all 4 feet from the ground and landed inside!  Luckily no pools or doggies where harmed in the making of this video!

We got kicked out the first time, since we had our first “attempt” on the ramp, so she surprised me by backing down the stairs …I was pretty impressed She’s more coordinated than I expect most of the time…which shouldn’t surprise me as she was a very coordinated puppy. If she had more self control she wouldn’t be such a klutz!

Still, it was a LOT of fun to see her do something that she so obviously LOVED! I was very glad she behaved at the venue that day though. She stayed the rest of the weekend, but we couldn’t leave her on Sunday so it was good that she got a chance to play and burn some energy before the long drive home.

Let Me Share a Secret….

Minnie came into my life on May of 2007 just a few days over 10 months old and with very little training. She came to us after a crazy series of events and rehomes, and though initially I thought to foster, train and place her, she quickly won both me and Dennis over with her antics and personality. To be completely honest, I never thought to look to a Pug as an agility partner (should have known better!) and even after she’d been with us for a while I wasn’t thinking agility training. I thought I had myself a spunky little lap dog and was pretty happy with that!

Before I even thought about keeping her, I started some clicker training with her, teaching her a few basic behaviors and playing shaping games. Minnie is a shaping fool! Sometimes intensity and love for the shaping game makes it harder to teach her something as she can get quite frantic trying to get you to click and reward. She has an INSANE food drive and that, combined with her love for the game, make for some pretty hilarious training sessions.

Our first adventure in agility came about quite by accident. Shortly after we’d decided to keep her, I was playing a shaping game with her in our terrace and she was, as usual, a little whirlwind of different offered behaviors. We’d recently started adding objects to our shaping game so after running through her many tricks, she quickly started scanning the area for the “object” I wanted her to interact with. I hadn’t set out to shape with any object, and to be honest I can’t remember anymore what I was planning on shaping but all of a sudden I saw her head go up and she took off like a rocket towards the yard. A jump from my earlier agility training session with my girl Chill was sitting about 10 feet from us. I have no idea how she knew what it was (probably some kid in one of her earlier homes had tried to teach her to jump) but she proceded to jump the 16″ bar back and forth like a little pogo stick! I decided to click, treat, LOWER the bar to 12″ and the rest as they say is history! Our agility journey together had begun!

Since I had no expectations, she was after all just a Pug, and had plans of getting a Border Collie puppy within the year, I decided to use Minnie as my personal training experiment. Here I had a dog I could try out my training on, with no fear of “messing her up”.

The year before, I’d gone to Clean Run Camp and attended Wendy Pape’s seminars on Building Toy Drive and Motivation and had come home with many ideas to work on. I set out to teach Minnie to play, to build her toy drive and tugging to a level that I could use it as a reward during our training. The results, far surpassed my expectations. Minnie will tug resiliently and enthusiastically, we call her our “Pit Pug”, and tugging on her leash is a big reward for a good run. She switches to the “live” toy when asked, drives to a “dead” toy and is simply a lot of fun to play with.

So after toy drive we worked on obstacles. I played with the 2×2 method for weave poles, teaching 2on/2off behavior for contacts and learning the foundation for Linda’s handling system.  We had our struggles and successes but all in all, Minnie shaped me into a better trainer and I in return was there to watch her awesome potential come out. I like to think her running out of the ring on me or tunnel sucking were my lessons in humility.  And must admit I learned to just enjoy the ride, no matter what it brings you, which is a pretty powerful lesson!

Minnie has been with me through many seminars, competed in national events, has performed agility in front of huge crowds in 5 different countries, and has definitely shown me and the world that Pugs should be taken serously in the agility ring. With her, I’ve met some pretty wonderful Pug People and friendships that I’m extremely grateful for.  All in all, a pretty amazing ride so far.

So what, you’re probably wondering, is the big secret? After all, I’ve always been pretty vocal (proud me? Never!) about Minnie’s history and background, and though I’m still surprise to hear some people don’t remember her in her “naughty days” running out on me or giving me the paw, I’m sure she’ll remind them in her own special way

So back to the secret…remember I said I adopted Minnie on May of 2007? Well something pretty special happened to me on December of 2007 that definitelyh influenced our agility journey. Shortly after Minnie and I started training in agility, me and my Border Collie Chill were invited to represent Puerto Rico at the 2007 AKC Agility Invitational in Long Beach, CA. It was a huge honor, and the experience was truly inspirational. To see all those “off-breeds” showing off their ability and expertise in this sport was a testament to what the sport should really be about: building better bonds between humans and their canine companions.

While there, and because I was a newly emerging “Crazy Pug Lady” I made a point to watch the runs of the pugs that were there and was impressed by their drive, their enthusiasm for the game and their handling skills. So when I say I was inspired, I mean it in a very literal sense. Right then and there, I thought “Minnie and I can do this, this could be our goal!”.  I was decided to take our training seriously, to truly believe we had a shot at this very ambitious goal. A seed was planted…

Minnie started showing in AKC in August of 2008 and earned her last Exellent A title at the same trial in August of 2010. The day we earned our last title, I had to re-evaluate our current goals to work on, so when I wrote on our training journal that night I was pretty nervous and excited. I scratched off “Earn our AX and AXJ” and wrote: “Qualify for the 2011 AKC Agility Invitational”. I promptly decided not to tell anyone, in fears that I might jinx myself – superstitious me? No! – and though I’m sure many were aware of this fervent wish I only formally told my husband Dennis and my friend and trainer Annette Alfonso.

We didn’t show as much as we hoped, and had to concentrate on other things financially, so by the time the qualifying period came to a close, Minnie the Wonder Pug was ranked in the #8 position. It was amazing to be within the Top 10, specially considering we only had 4 trial weekends. So, even though we didn’t make the coveted Top 5 list, I was still very proud of my Puglet and looking forward to our next chance.

Then the coolest thing happened: we got an invitation! No, it was not a “Second Round” invite, it was actually an INTERNATIONAL invitation. Minnie, like her sister Chill, was ranked among the top agility dogs in Puerto Rico and would be representing the island in the 2011 Invitational, like her sister did in 2007. It will be the last year we’re eligible for this honor, since we moved to Florida a few months ago, so we definitely plan on making the most of it!

As we pack the car and head out this morning on our way to Orlando – on a day that marks my new baby Fanta’s first Birthday! – I can’t help but meditate on the power of secret dreams, on the empowering qualities of dreams and hopes that help bring our journeys full circle.

I have no idea how Minnie will do this weekend.  In 2007 Chill earned the amazing honor of being the 2nd ranked International dog after the 4th round at the Invitational for the 20″ division. Rafo and Indy (who are part of the Team this year again) were 1st. I don’t really want to put any expectations on Minnie at this point. I’m just ecstatic to be crossing off “Qualify for the 2011 AKC Invitational” off our list of current goals, and replacing it by “have a clean round at the 2011 Invitational”.

I’m super proud of my Flying Monkey, happy to be going along on this journey with her and praying for many more years together. I HAVE the spunky lapdog I wanted, and so much MORE!!!  THANK YOU Minnie, let’s go show off

By the way, thanks to all our friends who have encouraged us, celebrated with us, or simply laughed along with us. You are too numerous to count but we truly value your friendship and support. We hope to make you proud!

I leave you with a quote from the book “Identity: Unknown” by Suzanne Brockman. She’s my favorite author and the book is one of her older romances, but I thought it was right on the money…
“If it’s so outside of the realm of possibility…Why torture myself? – It’s only torture if you think in terms of what you don’t have.  If you look at it as something to strive for, it’s a dream.  And it’s amazing what people can achieve with just a little bit of hope and a dream.”

Stay tuned for updates of our trip of chasing dreams!