Caspian the Ambassador & Educator

Caspian has accomplished a variety of wonderful things of late... He just completed his 6 week basic obedience course at Great Dog. He earned his first diploma last Monday! In addition he was the winner of the "longest down" contest meaning that he maintained his "down-stay" longer than the other dogs in class. Caspian is a star.

Caspian has shown great interest in children and has accompanied me to several humane education program sessions. Last week he was the featured dog in a summer program for youth in grades 4 & 5 in the Seatac area. The lesson for the children centered on understanding the negative impact of bullies and how to deal with bullies in their own lives. Caspian, being a bully breed dog was the perfect role model for the kids. He entered the room with complete finesse-he was calm, happy and eager to make new friends. He did not jump on anyone, responded immediately to any obedience requests and charmed the kids and staff.

Initially I could tell that several of the kids were visibly concerned by the presence of a pit bull. One child stated that she was afraid of all pit bulls because her mom told her that they all were vicious. I explained that Caspian was kind, well-behaved and well-trained. He had been tested for his ability to come and be a member of the classroom. He showed how well he was trained, did his tricks, and won the heart of everyone there. He was an ambassador for his breed and a learning tool to help the kids understand the belief "It's the DEED NOT the BREED" We discussed how sometimes the kids are misjudged for how they look, the neighborhood they live in, their family, the color of their skin, the school they attend-and we discussed how the same thing happens to Caspian. There was a real sense of identification with him, and he in turn gave love and support to every child there...unconditional love. Caspian made a positive impact on the kids and for his breed. It was a gift to be part of the experience.

He is one truly wonderful dog who is still looking for his forever home-would you like to get involved in humane education or therapy dog work? Caspian would be the perfect partner for you!

Caspian the House Hound

Caspian is doing great in his foster home with Mitch. Major kudos to Mitch for sharing his life and home with Caspian. It is obvious that they have a mutual love affair going on. Caspian needed to be in a home environment to learn how to live in a family setting. More importantly, he has learned the importance of chilling out and watching a baseball game with his favorite guy, just hangin' out on the couch. (Yes, he has permission to hang on the couch as long as he is polite, and is willing to jump off if Mitch requests him to do so. He earned the right to snuggle with Mitch by being a well-behaved house guest!)

He is learning how to relax in his crate when Mitch needs to leave him at home. He is doing well with this and is respectful of the need to be calm-especially when a stuffed Kong is his crate mate.

Come back to read tomorrow's post as I share the remarkable experience of introducing Caspian to a group of kids who learned that all pit bulls are NOT vicious. "Caspian the Ambassador" is on the schedule for the next post, but for now I have dogs to train-one of them is Caspian!

Woofs and wags to all of you Caspian fans.