Or About the Author.
I hate doing posts like this. I'm not one of those people who likes to talk about themselves. Ask me about my dogs and I'll talk all day long. Ask me about myself and I clam up. That said I think it is important for people to know who is doing the talking, at least it is to me. So here goes. I'm a twenties something (Now actually thirty's something) Woman who has been in dogs her whole life.. no really, my whole life. I have pictures of me and dogs before I was old enough to walk. My family has always had dogs for one reason or another, but really I'm the one with the passion.
I've worked as a dog groomer, and a dog trainer, at grooming shops, vet hospitals, and training clubs. I am passionate about dogs in general but working dogs in particular. I share my household with three retired border collies (now only two, may Spirit rest in peace), One insane crack head shepherd (this number recently went up to two), and a borzoi. I know one of these things is not like the other ones.... just don't tell her that. The oldest shepherd is my service dog who is owner trained with the occasional assistance of trainer friends. So when I talk about service dogs (an many other types of working dogs) I'm doing it from a place of familiarity. I always tell people looking for a service dog that it completely changes your life, in more ways than you could imagine, and that is the truth as I know it.
So for the inspiration for this blog. The cast and crew:
Name - Happy
Alias's - The Happy dog, the Boy Wonder, Happy monster.. you get the point
Breed- Border collie
Color - Red Sable and white
Happy is my retired service dog, and current go to man for anything I need done now, and done right. He is a lover not a fighter and is known among my friends for being the fun police. There shall be no ruff housing in the presence of the Happy dog. People shall live to worship and adore him. And yes he does know he's that pretty.
Name - Loki
Alias's - Loks, Beast, Lokaloks
Breed - German Shepherd
Color - black sable
Loki is go go go, with very little calm down and relax. He is always up for a challenge, or a game of tag, or anything really. My current working service dog Loki has a lot of responsibility but knows not to take life too seriously. He is a high drive dog with an need for some maturity, but I've never had a dog who took his job so seriously. I always tell people, that when he's on he's all the way on, but when he's off he might as well be 10,000 miles away. I have plans to title him in Obedience, Rally O, Agility, and maybe flyball. I may look into Tracking in nose work if I can find low cost ways to work him.
Name - Emma
Alias's - Em, Emma Lou, Pirannagater
Breed - Borzoi
Color - Red and white
Emma is a monster plain and simple, She never grew out of being a monster, even if she did finely grow into full sized borzoi. She is now the working service dog of a family member and household spoiled brat. Never one to do something unless she can also look fabulous doing it too she's got wicked skills and a wicked wardrobe to go with it.
Name - Spirit
Alias's - Spi Spi, Cave monster
Breed - Border collie
Color - Black and white with heavy ticking
Spirit since passed since this blog was started, but will remain because she still inspires me to do good things and be a good person.
Like any good cave monster she's camera elusive, so I have no good pictures of her. The camera comes out and she goes back in her cave. Spirit would have made a great little girl's dog, she would have happily put up with being dressed up, put in a carriage and carted around without protest and likely enjoyed every minute of it. She's my 'good dog'. She adores her people, and has no use for anyone outside her family circle. When she was younger she was a dynamo that was happy to be out fixing fences, swimming or otherwise where ever her people were. Now she spends more time in her Cave, under the desk where she can give the young idiots in the house the evil eye.
Name - Shadow
Alias's - None
Breed - Border collie
Color - Black with White Trim
There isn't a lot to say for Shadow, He is a good dog and keeps his nose out of trouble. A little grumpy in his old age, but who wouldn't be if you were as old as him. Blind, half deaf and still able to keep up with the youngers. He's one of those dogs most people remember from their childhood as good family dogs. He is well mannered with out a lot of work in that direction. Otherwise he is one of those pups that I really should have found a home for but didn't. He's well loved, but we've stuck to activities that suit his lower (on the border collie scale) drive and homebody nature.
Name: Synergy von Schraderhaus
Alias's : Remy
Breed : German Shepherd (Longcoat)
Color : Black
Who doesn't need to add a second crack head to their house? Remy is as sweet as they come, slow to mature she's still quite the character and very much the cuddle bug.
I hate doing posts like this. I'm not one of those people who likes to talk about themselves. Ask me about my dogs and I'll talk all day long. Ask me about myself and I clam up. That said I think it is important for people to know who is doing the talking, at least it is to me. So here goes. I'm a twenties something (Now actually thirty's something) Woman who has been in dogs her whole life.. no really, my whole life. I have pictures of me and dogs before I was old enough to walk. My family has always had dogs for one reason or another, but really I'm the one with the passion.
I've worked as a dog groomer, and a dog trainer, at grooming shops, vet hospitals, and training clubs. I am passionate about dogs in general but working dogs in particular. I share my household with three retired border collies (now only two, may Spirit rest in peace), One insane crack head shepherd (this number recently went up to two), and a borzoi. I know one of these things is not like the other ones.... just don't tell her that. The oldest shepherd is my service dog who is owner trained with the occasional assistance of trainer friends. So when I talk about service dogs (an many other types of working dogs) I'm doing it from a place of familiarity. I always tell people looking for a service dog that it completely changes your life, in more ways than you could imagine, and that is the truth as I know it.
So for the inspiration for this blog. The cast and crew:
Name - Happy
Alias's - The Happy dog, the Boy Wonder, Happy monster.. you get the point
Breed- Border collie
Color - Red Sable and white
Happy is my retired service dog, and current go to man for anything I need done now, and done right. He is a lover not a fighter and is known among my friends for being the fun police. There shall be no ruff housing in the presence of the Happy dog. People shall live to worship and adore him. And yes he does know he's that pretty.
Alias's - Loks, Beast, Lokaloks
Breed - German Shepherd
Color - black sable
Loki is go go go, with very little calm down and relax. He is always up for a challenge, or a game of tag, or anything really. My current working service dog Loki has a lot of responsibility but knows not to take life too seriously. He is a high drive dog with an need for some maturity, but I've never had a dog who took his job so seriously. I always tell people, that when he's on he's all the way on, but when he's off he might as well be 10,000 miles away. I have plans to title him in Obedience, Rally O, Agility, and maybe flyball. I may look into Tracking in nose work if I can find low cost ways to work him.
Name - Emma
Alias's - Em, Emma Lou, Pirannagater
Breed - Borzoi
Color - Red and white
Emma is a monster plain and simple, She never grew out of being a monster, even if she did finely grow into full sized borzoi. She is now the working service dog of a family member and household spoiled brat. Never one to do something unless she can also look fabulous doing it too she's got wicked skills and a wicked wardrobe to go with it.
Alias's - Spi Spi, Cave monster
Breed - Border collie
Color - Black and white with heavy ticking
Spirit since passed since this blog was started, but will remain because she still inspires me to do good things and be a good person.
Like any good cave monster she's camera elusive, so I have no good pictures of her. The camera comes out and she goes back in her cave. Spirit would have made a great little girl's dog, she would have happily put up with being dressed up, put in a carriage and carted around without protest and likely enjoyed every minute of it. She's my 'good dog'. She adores her people, and has no use for anyone outside her family circle. When she was younger she was a dynamo that was happy to be out fixing fences, swimming or otherwise where ever her people were. Now she spends more time in her Cave, under the desk where she can give the young idiots in the house the evil eye.
Name - Shadow
Alias's - None
Breed - Border collie
Color - Black with White Trim
There isn't a lot to say for Shadow, He is a good dog and keeps his nose out of trouble. A little grumpy in his old age, but who wouldn't be if you were as old as him. Blind, half deaf and still able to keep up with the youngers. He's one of those dogs most people remember from their childhood as good family dogs. He is well mannered with out a lot of work in that direction. Otherwise he is one of those pups that I really should have found a home for but didn't. He's well loved, but we've stuck to activities that suit his lower (on the border collie scale) drive and homebody nature.
Name: Synergy von Schraderhaus
Alias's : Remy
Breed : German Shepherd (Longcoat)
Color : Black
Who doesn't need to add a second crack head to their house? Remy is as sweet as they come, slow to mature she's still quite the character and very much the cuddle bug.
An Insiders View