Energic Dogs Need Variety
Nemo came to us with a twinkle in his eye and a slightly crooked jaw. We didn’t care and neither did he about his jaw.
He was just happy to have a home after being in the shelter for a while. The loss of our special dog, Cooper, devastated us. After a while, we looked for another wonderful dog to share our home. That is when Nemo appeared. He was a surprise to us both. Our disappointing searches led us to ‘accidently’ find Nemo. Originally we went back to this same shelter to bring home another dog we saw online. To our surprise, it was Nemo that happened to be returned by a family right in front of our eyes. We didn’t understand why and their questionable decision turned into our good fortune last Christmas eve.
We laugh now at the instantaneous decision we made, probably no more than a five-minute discussion, that would alter the rest of our lives. With very little personal information on his background we took him home. It was an adjustment. Renaming him was the easy part, since we technically found him, the name suited him well. However, we were not prepared for a young dog that had boundless energy. No matter how much we played with him and walked him, he just wanted more. We were exhausted.
Then came the day that I was invited to a local city park for a pet fair. By another stroke of luck or happenstance, I decided to bid on agility classes. I had a feeling that he would be good at it because; he has boundless energy, he loves to go in and out of boxes, and run up and down the stairs, and he is forever jumping over things. As it goes, I won the auction and he started his classes with Jump City Agility.
Nemo took to this as his namesake took to water. He is a natural. As any owner will tell you, it is so much fun watching your pet enjoy, truly enjoy themselves. So, this might just be the missing link to channeling his enthusiasm and energy. And it is. He enjoys the hoops, going through the tunnels, going up and down the ramps. Unlike some of the other dogs in class, he appears fearless.
He is still in the class, so it is too soon to tell if this will tame his wildness. Although the wonderful instructor-owner Cara did comment on his ability, it will be a while before he listens to all the commands. In the meantime, this has helped both of us to appreciate the little guy’s vitality in and out of this arena. I highly recommend trying this sport if your pet’s characteristics are fun loving, fast and unending in the energy department. Check out Jump City Agility or any reputable organization near you if interested. Cara Callaway is Jump City’s founder since 1995.
(Gerie Rhosen’s Instagram is BroadswithDogs)