November 2009
10 posts
A day at the races: Lure coursing at Prado Park
Lure coursing involves sight hounds competitively chasing an electronic lure (white plastic bags) around a gigantic field. The dogs compete by breed in trios: e.g three Salukis, three Whippets etc. They are judged on: following (no short cuts on the winding chase), agility (turning sharp corners), speed, endurance, and enthusiasm. I think every dog scored 100% in the last category. These dogs...
Athletic Dogs
At Agility Trials in Van Nuys over a hundred dogs joyfully, gleefully leaped over hurdles, tunnelled through tubes, balanced on teeter totters, jumped through hoops, weaved through poles, negotiated a-frames. Flights (!) were organized by weight and skill level. But it was abundantly clear, every dog had a great time. If there was any stress, it was the handlers who felt it, having to guide the...
Herding at Bel Canto
Following Saturday’s Cattle, Sheep, and Duck Herding at Pomona, I headed north on Sunday to the Bel Canto Ranch on the high desert near Lancaster. Here premium dogs showed their stuff, including renowned Border Collies, Nell and Lass, handled by Robin Elliot, herself an internationally famous breeder, trainer, handler of Border Collies (she’s the herder in the plum blouse). Dogs moving...
Herding (Cattle, Sheep, and Ducks)
This gallery has photographs taken on Saturday at the Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA) herding trials in Pomona. Open to all herding breeds, the dogs must herd cattle, sheep, and ducks. For each species the dog must herd the animals out of a small holding pen, through “gates,” through a narrow passage, and into an enclosed pen. The very large Black Angus cattle pose a robust challenge...
Dogs in Drag
Saturday was the Howl-o-ween Pooch Parade, a benefit for shelter dogs, featuring a dog costume competition. There were some conventional get-ups - dachshunds as wieners, quite a few pirates, red devils, lobsters — but several costumes were amusing and imaginative. My favorites were the Jack Russell as Dorothy, the big black Cane Corso as a ballerina, the Basset-Corgi mix as Cerberus the...