Another addition to the canine pack (NQR)

Yes, we have another dog in our family. I can sit here and pretend to roll my eyes and say it's all DH's idea and truthfully, it was. However, we made the decision together, after much discussion and many shows of support from the community in which we were seeking advice and recommendations from.

This is Joey. However since "J" of my previous blogs about my family is Joey, the Joey in the picture below may be renamed Jo-Jo or something. This I don't know because this IS DH's decision. J says he will go by Joe or Joseph, rather than making the dog change his name. Got to love his 9 year old thought process!

Anyway, this is Joey.





Joey is a 13-mo. old Vizsla out of the Barben Vizsla kennel. He still needs a full range of obedience and hunt training but already, per DH, he's a love and a smart and good boy.

Why do we have another dog? Well, it's simple and complicated all in one. DH works with the wounded soldiers and often goes out hunting with them (among other activities) to empower them so they may heal faster and with a more positive approach to the process. It assists the soldiers in understanding they can live an active life even with their various physical or mental limitations. I'd been thinking a lot lately about getting more involved in volunteering in this effort but without being a hunter, it didn't seem likely I had anything to offer. However, just when you think the door is closing, something pushes it open. About the same time, Sasha was starting to get into trouble.

Remember Sasha?



She wasn't in bad trouble but like any smart child, she was bored and needed challenging. A house dog was only part of her calling. We decided to schedule ourselves and Sasha into the Foundation seminar led by Ronnie Smith (http://www.huntsmith.com/). It was a fantastic weekend, even if wet and chilly the first day. We learned so much about handling and reading Sasha and we had a chance to see some other dogs in action with various levels of experience. At some point during the weekend, a plan was hatched to add another dog to our family and train him and Sasha both to hunt so we both could take them out with the wounded warriors.

With many inquiries and a tremendous amount of support and tremendous generosity, we've added Joey to our family. We've made some wonderful friends and are just blown away at the generosity of these new friends. Thank you to the Zahns of Barbenvizslas.com, especially, for Joey!

Training updates on both animals will start being a regular part of this blog. I thank my quilting friends for understanding this has become as fulfilling for me as quilting has been and I feel I must "document" it as I am my quilting mishaps and successes.