Show offs
Coral Wilson
While reptiles, bugs, pigs, bunnies, rats, turtles, birds, cats and
even pygmy goats made appearances at the America’s Family Pet Expo at
the Orange County Fairgrounds this weekend, dogs seemed to get most
of the attention.
From Hennigan’s Spinning Frisbee K-9s and the Parade of Dog Breeds
to workshops on how to train your dog, there was much for the dog
lover to do and buy at the expo.
Asko, Chartay, Freckles, Hillary, Lad and Nick, six dogs
representing the Eukanuba Legends in Total Excellence, or ELITE Team,
demonstrated obedience, agility, beauty, search and rescue, freestyle
dancing, Frisbee catching and police assistance for the Eukanuba dog
food company.
Award-winning Frisbee dog Nick turned flips and leaped through the
air to catch a series of Frisbees being thrown in the air. Owner Bob
Evans from Dallas, Texas said the Australian shepherd keeps him young
and active at 70 years old.
“Nick says if I could run faster, he would do better,” Evans said.
It starts with getting the dog interested in the disc and then
teaching it a series of simple tricks. For Evans, it started as a
hobby and became an addiction.
Nick is a third-generation Frisbee dog. When he was not yet 2
years old, he became the youngest dog to win the world championship.
Now at 4 years old, Nick has won every major competition, and Evans
is reluctantly considering retirement for himself and the dog.
“People say I am dead in dog years, but I still have fun,” Evans
said.
Another star of the show was Lad, a canine freestyle dancer. Owner
Mari Beth Baumberger said Lad was a natural from the beginning. Now
the Shetland sheepdog understands more than 100 training words, but
interpreting body language and trust become critical while
performing, she said.
Obedience and agility are basic dog training skills, but many
trainers are afraid of being in the spotlight with their dogs.
“I think it is something everyone does in their living rooms with
the curtains closed so no one can see,” Baumberger said.
Lad is also a certified therapy dog. Baumberger and Lad visit
senior centers and hospitals to offer emotional support.
“It gives them a break from whatever they are going through,”
Baumberger said. “Kids and residents can really connect. They can
tell stories about when they had a dog.”
Not only good entertainers, dogs serve important functions in
society, said Bud Most, master of ceremonies for the ELITE team’s
demonstration. For instance, dogs assist police officers with their
sense of smell.
Sgt. Jim Nichols came from Florida with his police dog Asko. The
German shepherd impressed onlookers as it raced past several postal
boxes to attack another and tear it apart. Asko correctly identified
the five grams of pseudo-cocaine hidden inside.
The crowd clapped and cheered them on as the dogs jumped, danced,
raced and fetched.
“Look at, daddy. Watch this,” Adam Robertson, 3, said to his
father as Nick jumped on and over Evans’ back to catch a Frisbee.
“Wow, did you see that one?” Rick Robertson responded.
The family had come from Mission Viejo to see all the animals at
the expo.
Robertson said his family does not own a dog, but he knows the
questions are coming.
Adam often tells people, “They won’t let me get a dog yet,”
Robertson said.
The “Canine Dream Team,” as Eukanuba calls the dogs, was assembled
about a year ago to demonstrate the benefit of the company’s dog
food, Most said. The dogs are being fed exclusively Eukanuba food.
Other attractions at the three-day expo were Valentine’s
Performing Pigs, the Science Safari Bug Show, snake races, a wallaby
with a baby in her pouch at the petting zoo, and demonstrations by
the Fancy Rat and Mouse Assn. and the Pygmy Goat Assn.
* CORAL WILSON is the news assistant and may be reached at (949)
574-4298 or by e-mail at coral.wilson@latimes.com.
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