Samantha’s Own Dogs – Pele, Sassy and Bodie
Pele has enjoyed a very successful 2010-2011 working trials season, qualifying WDex four times and making a sensational debut in TD last friday the 28th of January when he stormed around the track and went on to win the stake, just missing the qualification and sadly the green star by half a point under judge Jeff Poole. He has completed every track successfully and is proving to be a consistent tracking dog so his future looks promising. I can only thank my lucky stars that his previous owners handed him up to Battersea Dogs Home where I found him. Pele is proof that owning a dog is about enjoying a relationship based on trust and only after trust has been established can you get back what you put in.
Battersea’s Best to Pele CDex UDex WDex TDex
In August 2005 while on a three week residential dog training course, I met a very special dog. The course was based at Battersea Dogs Home Windsor. As part of their re homing policy all collies and working dogs are assessed for their working potential. I was looking for my first working trials dog.
I thought I like him. He has the ability to think for himself and does not follow the pack. A dog after my own heart.
Like a scene out of a movie the Battersea Dogs home van drew up and twenty collie type dogs were released from their confinement to run loose in a well secured field. The field belonged to a lady shepherdess who was going to assess their ability as potential sheepdogs. As most of the dogs seized the opportunity to run and frolic in this beautiful open space I noticed a dog that did not run with the pack and walked off by himself. He maintained a safe distance from the other dogs and from us. I thought I like him. He has the ability to think for himself and does not follow the pack. A dog after my own heart. He was only a pup but already had lovely long legs and possessed a sleek greyhound type physique so I knew he had the ability to jump. I pointed him out to John. John threw him his wallet which this shy black and white dog picked up and walked away with. He then dropped it and walked away. I then threw him my furry purse which he again picked up and walked away with. John said well he has passed the first assessment as a potential working dog. He has shown an interest in two novel items in a strange environment with strange people and has shown the ability to pick up strange items. John turned to me and said ‘The rest is up to you Samantha’. Like a sheep I was quickly corralled by the Battersea staff as they identified and questioned a potential owner who was not going to get away. As I filled in the papers I wrote down his new name.
My collie started to take evasive action by digging holes and would not even acknowledge their existence
It is a well known fact that collies love to chase. In a domestic situation we provide them with balls instead of sheep. So I called my dog after a great sporting champion who also liked chasing balls….Pele. He is now registered as a working trials dog with the Irish and British Kennel club as BATTERSEA’S BEST TO PELE. He has gained his titles of Companion dog excellent and Utility dog excellent both at home and in the UK. He has now achieved his title working dog excellent and we are now working towards the title of tracking dog excellent.
Later when the shepherdess came to assess him and brought him into the pen with six sheep my collie started to take evasive action by digging holes and would not even acknowledge their existence never mind herd them. Great I thought as I watched him trying to cope, a dog that will take evasive action. Up to now this evasive behaviour has kept him alive but it has also proved to be the greatest challenge in training him as a working trials dog.
