Scott, Seva, and I ran the 5k at the Wag, Walk, & Run this year. The weather was gorgeous. Seva was in the lead the entire 5k–I don’t mean leading the race. I mean she was out in front of me and Scott the whole way. She sets our pace when we run! She and I participated in the demo after the run and her Snuggle was awesome.
Me & Seva before the big run.
Scott & Seva
Runners gathering at the start line.
Post run, happy puppy!
Yesterday, Seva performed her very first service demo. We went to Minnetonka West Middle School and joined three other Helping Paws teams to show a group of 8th and 9th graders what we do. There were at least 60 kids in the large band room.
You know, Seva is the most sociable, excitable puppy, so I went into this expecting her to do well, but knowing that at any moment she could go berserk. We did have a little scene when she saw Chuda in the vestibule outside the front office. Seva stayed with Chuda a couple weeks ago when we went out of town, so they’re buddies. Seva was airborn with excitement. Fortunately, Chuda is older and set a more respectable tone (thanks to his trainer, Wendy!).
I recorded the demo, which took about an hour, and have edited out some short clips. The stars of the day (closest to the camera to farthest): Seva, 7 mos old, and Alida; Jed, 2 1/2 yrs old, and John; Chuda, 9 mos old, and Wendy; Aida, 1 1/2 yrs old, and Katy.
The dogs each do something amazing and we went in order of youngest to oldest, so you get a sense of the progression of skills.
Watch this if…
Intro: …you want to hear Katy talk a bit about Helping Paws and meet the trainer/dog teams.
Seva: …you want to see what a 7 month old puppy can do. Something funny happens when they clap for Seva.
Chuda: …you want to see what a 9 month old puppy can do.
Aida: …you want to see what a 1 1/2 year old dog can do.
Jed: …you want to see what a 2 1/2 year old dog can do.
Kids + Puppy: …you want to see Seva receive the kids’ love. I’m giving her kibble for keeping her paws on the floor. You see by her tail that she was excited to meet so many kids, but once again kibble saves the day!
That’s right, folks, last night was the Helping Paws Summer Olympics! You may have seen it on the 10:00 news. 4, 5, and 11 had cameras there. Here is KSTP’s coverage, featuring Walter. WCCO covered the Puppy Swim, and you can see Seva in the blue gentle leader here! Seva competed in two events, the Puppy Swim and the Puppy Dash.
International Relations
The dogs formed 4 teams: Australia, Canada, France, and Tanzania. Here we are lining up before the Opening Ceremonies, promoting international peace amongst canines and humans. The event was a fun way for the dogs and trainers to show off their skills to their many benefactors.
Team Canada
Seva receives a pep talk before the big event from one of her more experienced teammates. “OK, kid, here’s the deal: stay in line, don’t eat things off the floor, and no matter what happens, keep that tail wagging!”
Seva’s first event was the Puppy Swim. She competed against her littermates. Each puppy took a corner and was released to race into the pool. First one with four paws in the water got the gold.
The Puppy Swim
They didn’t exactly race in. This thing? Looks like a giant water bowl. Roger, Storm, Seva, and Alta (left to right) consider the pool. After a few minutes, Storm climbed in to take the Gold! She had a blast splashing around while Seva and Roger wrestled outside the pool. Eventually, Roger put two paws in the pool and won the Silver. Seva brought home the Bronze, even though all she did is take a drink!
Storm takes the Gold!
Seva’s next event was the Puppy Dash. Now, you already know Seva is fast. You’ve seen the action shots in this blog.
Puppy Dash
Seva, Storm, and Roger race to their trainers. The judges are to my left–both human and canine because we believe in checks and balances.
Instant Replay
And we have a winner! Roger and Storm raced in the second heat for Silver and Bronze.
The Awards Ceremony
The Puppy Dash medalists: Seva on Gold, Roger on Silver, and Storm on Bronze.
Seva and me
The proud pup displays her medals and her coach!
The intrepid photographer
The man behind the camera! And behind him, a tired out puppy ready to head home.
Training for next year has already begun. Do you think there will be competitive “Shake”?