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A man or woman never stands as tall as when he kneels to help an animal. -Author Unknown
- CANINE GOOD CITIZENS SPOTTED
The 4-H club members and their Canine Good Citizens Dogs at the county fair
Congratulations to these Responsible Pet Owners
Last spring the Shelter decided to use part of a grant from the Community Foundation to sponsor the 4-H dog club in their quest to earn Canine Good Citizen awards. With the help of their leaders Barbara DeFalco and Lisa Holt the club members and their dogs worked on the 10 practical obedience and socialization skills that a dog must demonstrate in order to receive a CGC certification. They were then tested by an independent CGC evaluator. They are now all the proud handlers of a Canine Good Citizen certified dog and the Shelter presented each with a CGC pin or badge and their dogs with a blue CGC bandana.
Since then many on San Juan Island have helped promote and foster responsible dog ownership through the CGC program and we have a growing list of special dogs and their handlers who have passed the AKC Canine Good Citizens test. Thanks to Lisa Holt and Barbara DeFalco who have arranged for certified evaluators to visit the Island and test our dogs. Lisa Holt is now offering classes to help train for the test and welcomes our shelter dogs at no expense to the shelter. A growing number of San Juan Island businesses are demonstrating their support of the program by offering a special bonus or discount to the owners of CGC dogs. Islands Convalescent Center is now requiring that dogs who visit their facility have a CGC certification in order to insure the dog has the good manners required to not frighten or harm their residents.
We are delighted to see the interest in helping our San Juan Island dogs become mannerly good citizens. We know that the bond between dogs and their owners is strengthened through the communication of training.
If you wish to find out more about CGC and how to become a Human Good Citizen by qualifying your dog, you can visit the AKC web site >>click left for link www.akc.org/events/cgc/ or pick up a brochure at the shelter. Call us to find out when the next CGC evaluation will take place and then see if your dog has the skills needed to become a Canine Good Citizen. If you have a well mannered dog you most likely already have most of the skills it takes to earn certification. If not, this is a worthy goal for any pet dog owner. It is great fun to have a dog whose manners make him welcome anywhere because we Islanders love to meet our diverse dog community. -
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