A post out of sequence

As many of you know, although I haven't written about it yet, Stella is in Alberta doing doggie boot camp with Scott Glen. I promise I will write about the decision and the trials and tribulations of getting her there, at a later date.

Stella had been coming along well with her training. On Saturday evening, I received an email from Jenny saying that Stella had gotten hurt on Friday and, they were taking her to the vet to make sure she was ok. I bypassed rational thought and went straight to panic mode.

About a million phone calls, several tears, and some tense moments later, Stella is on the mend. Today is her 3rd birthday, Happy Birthday Babydoll. As John said, now I have a real stockdog.

I can't say emphatically enough how wonderful both Scott and Jenny were. There was almost constant communication from Jenny, giving me updates and the like.

It was a selfishly difficult decision to send her away. Scott is a brilliant trainer, and so is Alasdair. How do you choose? For me, the decision came down to care. Knowing Jenny is a trained Veterinary Technician, and knowing that Stella would be crated in their basement, put my mind at ease. As a person who feeds a raw diet, Jenny was more than willing to accommodate my diet request, and she even does 'the voodoo dance' for Stella. Scott maybe wouldn't do the voodoo dance, but he too took a hand in getting Stella to eat again. Only the best cheese and shortbread cookies for her. Thanks Scott.

My advice to anyone considering sending a dog away for training. Training expertise aside, consider that accidents can happen. If your dog is far away, have a plan for being able to get it back since flying may not be an option. Above all, choose a trainer who will take extraordinary care of your dog and will also consider how you feel about that dog. To me, Scott and Jenny are top notch.

Scott has now earned a place alongside Dal in my dog experience book.