Happy Birthday to Michael & Heather Bruce’s Bandit! 13 years young on August 13 2019.

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Bandit & his brother Zoot’s birthday…13….I can hardly believe it, we just brought him home a couple of months ago….sigh.   Photos attached are of Jet (Eric’s dog) flirting with Bandit….and finally hugging him with the Marvelous Savvy Dog in the background. I have to say that Bandit was a little surprised, but took it in his usual good natured way. The tiny puppy photo is the first one I ever saw of him…at 6 weeks old—Special thank you, to Eileen, of Ravensgate Border Collie Rescue.  Do you see why we couldn’t resist? It is also his brother Zoot’s birthday as well. Photo of the two teenagers attached along with their “Dads” at an AAC trial in Canada.

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L’Argus Trial wrap up from Cathy Percy & Teddi Bottiger

A lot of fun was had at Rainier Agility Team’s annual L’Argus NADAC trial a few weeks ago.

Two full days and one evening that saw 3 NATCHs ! Congratulations again to: Brian and Meb, Karmen and Lava, Monique and Rye!

One retirement (we will miss you, Foggy Man!), and lots of great teamwork in all the levels and classes. We also celebrated approximately 30 Double Digit Dogs ranging from 10 to 15 1/2 years old. A big THANK YOU to all of the teams that came to play with us, the trial committee working with Teddi and me, our judges (Arlene Courtney and Bernie Doyle), all who volunteered in the rings, and those who helped set up, course build and tear down. We couldn’t have had the fun weekend we did without you!

Summer is and fading fast! Congratulations to all the RAT members who sent in brags!

Cheryl Parker and Samm

Congratulations to :

All the CATCH’s from Sno Bounders CPE Trial August 3rd & 4th

Sassy & Jean Hodgeson : C-ATCH
Jazz & Phil Crawford :C-ATCH
Caylee & Christie Woolsey : C-ATCH
Shilo & Karen Ricketts : C-ATCH4
Tully & Angie Atkinson : CS-ATCH8
Blue & Jean Hodgeson : CS-ATCH5
Maggie Doris Dyar : CT-ATCH2

Nellie and Brady do well in scent work and agility.

Laurie with Brady (above)

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Speaking of scent work ….

Spotlight on Members

Meet Jackie Loser & her dogs.

Jackie lives in McCleary.

RT: Tell us about your dogs?

Jackie: I have Journey is a 9 year old Border Collie mix, Kit is a 3 year old Australian Shepherd.  MickMack is my blind Frenchie, Ike is my husband’s Boston Terrier and Cubbie (Cattle Dog Mix) and puppy Gem (Border Collie) are my sheep herders. 

RT: How did you get interested in dog agility  and are you competing and if so in what venues?

Jackie: was a dog trainer and thought it looked like fun,  I’ve been competing since 1999, I think. I have I have dabbled in other venues (CPE, ASCA), but NADAC is where I play.

RT: What other activities do you do with your dogs?

Jackie: Herding & hiking

RT: What do you like about being a RAT Club member ?

Jackie: The friends I’ve made.

RT: What RAT Activities have you helped with?

Jackie: Working at Trials, Demos etc.  Trial secretary, Trial chair, volunteer. 

RT: Do you have any particular interests you would like to share

Jackie: Hmmm, mostly I do dog stuff.  I used to ride horses a lot, and hope to get another horse someday.  And if I win the lottery, I would buy a small farm for that horse and get some sheep.

RT: What funny things do your dogs do? 

Jackie: They are always funny, just watching how they interact with each other and the world makes me laugh at least once or twice a day.

Journey ( Littermate to Steed and Nick Nick!)

Meet Cheryl  Parker & her two Cockers

Cheryl Parker lives in Seattle with her two Cockers: Cooper age 13 years 10 months and Sammie Mae age 5.

RT: How did you get interested in dog agility?

Cheryl: Cooper was a hyperactive puppy. We go hiking and he would climb logs or trees that had fallen – swim in lakes and rivers.  It wasn’t enough! We initially started with sheep herding classes – yes sheep herding!  Once we learned we couldn’t compete – someone told me about agility and we never looked back.

RT: Are you competing? If so for how long?

Cheryl: Almost 9 years – we started competing when Cooper turned 5.

RT: What venues do you compete in? 

Cheryl: CPE, AKC, USDAA and a little ASCA. I used to do NADAC.

RT: What other activities do you do with your dogs?

Cheryl: Tricks – especially synchronized ones! Cooper likes nose work but hasn’t competed yet. Urban and nature hikes. I have a backpack for Cooper and soon a stroller!

RT:What do you like about being a RAT Club member?

Cheryl: I like the community of people. I love that they love their dogs as much as I love mine.  Hugs, smiles, laughter and advice are abundant so you are never alone.

RT: What RAT Activities have you helped with?

Cheryl: Currently I am a Member at Large with the RAT Board. I am assisting with RAT CHAMPS.  You will find me working as a volunteer at any trial I attend.  I participate in RAT Demos.  I used to be a Trial Chair for the Sweetheart trail and will be the new trial chair for the May CPE 2020.

RT: Do you have any particular interests you would like to share ?

Cheryl: I love digital scrap booking!

RT: What funny things do your dogs do?

Cheryl: Two things I find amusing: I can put Samm in a sit stay and Cooper runs up on her barking and play bow trying to get her to break her sit stay – this can go on until  I release her.

They talk to each other just about every night. One stays on my bed the other in the living room and they take turns barking at each other.

RT: What do you like  best about your dog(s)?

Cheryl: They get along now! Seriously – they are easy going, I can take them anywhere. They are forgiving of long work days and always by my side.

Dog Health – Val Tangen talks about La Par in her dog JoJo

Pet Health Network describes Lar Par (Laryngeal paralysis)as a “condition that severely affects a pet’s breathing.

“The larynx is the medical name for the voice box. If you’ve ever had a sore throat or laryngitis, then your very own larynx was irritated. The larynx’s job is to close off after we inhale, open up when we inhale, and again shut off when we eat and drink so we don’t “swallow the wrong way.” But in pets (especially dogs), when laryngeal paralysis occurs, none of these things happen. Taking a deep breath becomes impossible, and the pet basically suffocates.

Lar Par is a very stressful condition to the patient – who obviously doesn’t understand what is going on. The dog literally suffocates. Typically, the signs are progressive. The dog pants without exercising, has noisy and labored breathing, and gets tired quickly during regular walks.”Excitement and heat/humidity exacerbate it. Guardians may notice that their dog’s voice changes and sounds hoarse. It generally affects older dogs and especially large breed dogs, like labs and goldens.

Our JoJo, a 14.5 year old Portuguese Water Dog, was diagnosed with a mild case of Lar Par this spring. At the end of July we were at a PWD Water Trial. JoJo was not competing but she was in her crate observing all that was going on and wishing she could still play the game. After we got back to our RV site and were taking a post-dinner walk, she basically collapsed. Ever seen a mother bird feeding her babies with their mouths wide open and squawking? That is what she looked like! I could see all the way down to her toes (I thought). And the high-pitched noise and foam coming out of her mouth . . . so scary!!

Luckily my friend ran for her car and drove us 34 minutes to the emergency vet. I was sure JoJo was going to die in my lap. At the vets, they gave her oxygen, x-rayed her chest, cooled her down, and calmed her down. After several hours she was deemed stable and we went back to the RV park. She was fine the next day but we headed for the specialty vet on Monday. The vet explained the condition and our options. Since she is a basically a very healthy older dog, the idea of surgery was appealing. It would allow her to breathe!! And selfishly, I would never have to go through that experience again. The downside is that she may be more likely to get aspirate pneumonia but even without the surgery the chance of that is very high with Lar Par affected dogs.

A week later JoJo went in for “tie back” surgery where one of her vocal cords was permanently fixed in an open position so that it could not interfere with air flow. That was 4 days ago. She is now breathing easily, eating small “meat balls” hand fed to her, drinking, going for short walks, curling her lips at the puppy who wants her to play, and feeling a lot better. She has a 3” – 4” long scar on the left side of her throat. She will have a 4 – 6 weeks recovery quiet time.

The more I read on good old google the more I am learning. Hereditary comes into it. Dogs with thyroid issues are more at risk. (JoJo has been on thyroid meds for many years.) Please have your dog checked out if its voice changes, has trouble breathing after exercise or in the heat or from excitement. It is possible to deal with Lar Par and I hope we have made the right decisions on our choices and how we take care of our girl in the future!