Clean Run - July 2019 - 42

How to Rescue Your Next Great Agility Dog, Part 2
By Lisa Lanser Rose

Last month we discussed the many benefits of rescuing your next agility dog,
and a number of agility trainers weighed
in on how you can stack the odds in
your favor when selecting a rescue for
your next agility partner. Once a particular rescue dog has piqued your interest, I described the first stage necessary
for evaluating the dog: interview the
dog's caretaker, which includes asking
the right questions and knowing where
you're willing to compromise.
This month we'll look at the next two
stages of the evaluation process: examine photos and unedited videos, and
meet the dog.

Examine Photos and
Unedited Videos
Some caretakers are also experienced
dog trainers and will readily deliver any
visuals you need, especially if you're far
away. Some, however, are simply dog
lovers trying to save as many dogs as
possible and may resist your pickiness.
It helps to remember that many dogs
land in rescue because they have high
drive, high energy, and high intelligence,
and you're the right match for such a dog.
Being choosy is also an act of love.You're
willing to work and to wait. Christina
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Cornwell Curtis, trainer at Carmel Dog Zone, Elite Performance K9s, a rescue-toservice-dog program, says, "You have to be picky. That's how you get the right dog."
When you ask for videos, be precise about what you want and insist the videos be
unedited. A caretaker unfamiliar with dog sports might be confused, which you can
work with, but a caretaker under pressure to move a dog might be reluctant, which
could be a red flag. Andrea Rigler says, "Get at least one unedited video of what you
want.You need to see what the dog does between behaviors." Many caretakers may
appreciate the suggestion. Ami Sheffield, who has volunteered for Mini Aussie Rescue
and Support (MARS) for thirteen years, says, "These videos make great advertisements. The right videos can get a dog adopted."
If the dog is local, the following are all observations you can make personally. But
before you buy a plane ticket and risk your heart, consider asking for these photos
and videos:
*

Photos of the dog standing from the side and front. Physical soundness
minimizes the likelihood of athletic injury, but what to look for can be elusive to
some of us. Gail Storm, Senior Agility AKC Field Representative and breeder, has
been running agility and rescuing Border Collies for thirty-five years. She's rescued several hundred Border Collies and was instrumental in persuading the AKC
to allow non-AKC-registered dogs to run. "For agility, I do a good job evaluating
structure." She likes good hind-end angles "to get the dog off the ground," and
shoulder lay-back. "I like dogs slightly longer than tall, a dog with really nice structure." But what makes a structure nice? "Look for a bend in the hock," Christina
Cornwell Curtis says. "If the whole back leg is straight, the landings are harder on
the dog. However, several others say balance is more important than angulation. If
a dog is straight front and back, or angulated front and back, he is balanced.
> While Diane Bauman prefers a long back for bending over jumps, Curtis, who
competes in disc dog as well, prefers a shorter back, for "flips and stuff." Bauman
has been rescuing and competing in agility and obedience since the seventies.
> Look for long necks. "If the head's sitting on the shoulders," Bauman says,
"he's not going to be a great jumper." She recommends you consider the
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Clean Run - July 2019

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