Taize Shepherd
  • Home

Jail cell dogs, handlers put on show

4/2/2013

 
Picture
Adoption Counselors Jhori Jurgenson, Stephanie Nedwick and Jessica Farkas pose with a few of our many cats for adoption as well as Bernie, an 8-year-old male Collie. Bernie was found as a stray, and has been residing at the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA ever since, in search of a retirement home. Bernie is very sweet and gentle, and is easy-going and loves to sleep by your feet. He gets along well with cats, as you can see by the picture, and does well with other dogs. He will need a low-key home where he can live the rest of his life comfortably!
The 137th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is now history. The excitement is palpable, the breed education offered is second to none, and man’s greatest “best friend” is showcased in all of his and her glory. The spectacular  International Champion American Grand Champion Banana Joe v Tami Kazan gaited his way to Best in Show. This charismatic Affenpinscher was the Number One Toy in 2012, and to date is the top winning Affenpinscher in the history of the breed.

I was thrilled to see Banana Joe go Best at a 2012 spring show, and I can assure you that when he entered the ring, I (and most attendees) couldn’t take my eyes off of him.  Congratulations to Tina Truesdale, wife of Dr. Bill Truesdale of ICG fame, and her co-owner Mieke Cooijmaus for a well-run campaign and well-deserved win. I was tickled that my GSD Champion Ikea’s 8-year-old half-sister, GCH Jantar’s China Lake of Witmer, won the Breed, and was pulled in the Herding Group. A great exhibition for a seasoned senior competitor.
Westminster may have an extensive viewing audience, but it’s far from the only dog show in town! Last week our handlers in our Columbia County Jail New Leash on Life Cell Dog Program put on an impressive dog show of their own. Kevin and Grits, Ryan and Jetta, Nick and Casey, with back-up handler James, put their canine companions through their paces for a large group of onlookers.

Capt. John Davi and Program Supervisor Sgt. Brian Gardner hosted the Albany County Jail Superintendent Chris Clark, his associate Sgt. Ralph Peltier, other corrections officers, Director of the Mohawk-Hudson Humane Society Brad Shear, and two of Shear’s potential dog trainers for the soon-to-be-created Albany County program. We are so proud to be the first county jail cell program in New York state. We have hosted a number of corrections officials from in and out of state, to learn from us the best and most efficient way for them to establish a program similar to ours.

We are just over two years young, have graduated 37 dogs to date, and our momentum has not slowed. I personally swelled with pride when our handler-dog teams excelled with their knowledge and presentation. These class dogs never blinked an eye when an onslaught of program “auditors” entered the training room. We ended with a meet and greet for all of our guests, and the handlers
shared their personal comments on their participation in the program, and how far the dogs have come in such a short period of time.

Excellent job, handlers. Thank you for your love, devotion and commitment to the dogs. The performance was met with impressed and rave reviews from our guests. A special thank-you goes out to CGHS/SPCA CEO Ron Perez, whose hands-on contributions to the program are too numerous to mention. Another special thank-you to my friend and colleague Laura Manchester who has faithfully assisted me in class since the beginning of winter. Call the shelter to set up a meet and greet with one of our canine stars. This is a unique opportunity to get a dog in need with many training and management skills. The line forms to the right of our CGHS doors!

Thank you for your generosity to our food bank. We are always ready to fill our shelves with your goodness and food!

 Feel free to call us with any questions at 518-828-6044, or visit our website at www.cghs.org. Stop down and see us at 125 Humane Society Road, off Route 66 (about a mile south of the intersection with Route 9H) in Hudson. Our hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed on Wednesday and Sunday. The food bank is open to any from the public in need of pet food or for those wishing to donate food anytime during business hours. All of our cats and kittens are “Furrever Free” with all expenses paid. Spay/neuter clinics for cats are $65 male or female, including a rabies vaccination and a 5-in-1 feline distemper combination vaccination. Nail clipping services are available every Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the shelter, no appointment necessary, for a donation of $5 for cats and $10 for dogs.

 ***
Charlene Marchand is the chairperson of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA Board of Directors. She may be contacted by email at cghsaaron@gmail.com.


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Charlene Marchand is the Chairperson of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA
    Board of Directors and positive dog reinforcement trainer  &  behaviorist serving the needs of the NY Capital District ~ Western  MA ~ Schenectady / Troy ~ Saratoga ~ Mid-Hudson Valley region for over 40 years.

    She may be contacted by e-mail at cghsaaron@gmail.com.

    Archives

    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    Abandonment
    Behavior
    Canine Mental Health
    Cruelty
    Dominance
    Feline
    Flea
    Hiking
    Lost And Found
    Shelter
    Show Dogs
    Sibling Rivalry
    Spay And Neuter
    Training
    Weather
    Westminster

    RSS Feed