I get a lot of emails about playdates for certain sized dogs – especially small dog meetups. No longer do you need to worry! Ottawa K9 School is now offering Fun Friday Events, one of which are playdates! Sweet!

The first meetup is a SMALL DOG PLAYDATE on August 6th, with drop in between 6:30 and 8:30. All Fun Friday events include coffee, treats, cold drinks. Playdates are a flat $10 fee.

The next Fun Friday event is Intro to Agility on August 13th from 6:30-8pm. Intro to Agility is $20 – spaces will be limited! Reserve ahead of time by email. This is a fantastic way to try out agility to see if it’s right for you and your dog.

Ottawa K9 School is launching these events in conjunction with opening their BRAND NEW LOCATION. They are now located at 425 St-Laurent Blvd., right beside Full Cycle.

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(Ottawa Dog of the Week for September 21st/09)

“Jake is a 2.5 year old red merle Australian Shepherd. We adopted him on August 23rd of this year from the Ontario chapter of the Aussie Rescue and Placement Helpline (ARPH). He came all the way from Ohio in November 2008 with no training, bad manners and a ton of energy after his owner died. Jake was so lucky to be placed with a great foster family here in Ottawa who never gave up on him, even when he showed some pretty scary behaviour problems.

I fell in love with his photo (check out his bi-colored left eye! Bottom half is blue, top half green!) and description on the adoption page and was crossing my fingers that he would be a good match for our family. It has been almost a decade since I decided I wanted an Aussie and it just felt like now was the right time. After all was said and done, he joined us and we’re convinced it was meant to be.

Jake now shares his life (and toys!) with Bailee, a 4 year old GSD/Collie mix. He has the most endearing qualities like bringing us shoes when he is excited to see us, running into the television screen when dogs are on it and rolling on his back to play with his squeaky toys, making us laugh every day. He loves to run at full speed at the dogs parks and when we’re on hikes, playing keep away with whatever he’s got. There is also nothing like coming home and being greeted with a full-body wiggle! We continue to work with his behaviour problems (which kept him from being adopted for almost a year!) and when he’s ready, he will make a great agility or flyball participant.

We look forward to what the future will bring us!

Save a life, gain a friend – Adopt” – Jake’s Mom, Lisa

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(Ottawa Dog of the Week for July 13th/09)

“Mishka is a one year old (June 26th) English Shepherd, a herding breed registered by the UKC. He is a 23 inch, 55 lb sable and white male.

The English Shepherd is a rare breed, alert, responsive and level-headed. They are noted for being devoted family dogs. As a herding dog, this breed likes to be kept busy. A combination of independent thinking with an intense desire to serve a master makes a rewarding partnership for anyone interested in dog sports or herding.

Mishka channels his energies in obedience, agility and enjoys off leash walks in the park.” – Mishka’s owner, Toni Surko (Breeder Barbara and Jonathan Brown)

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Ottawa Dog Blog had the chance to interview photographer, Natalie Heath from Heath Photo.

Name: Natalie Heath
Location: Kanata
Website: heathphoto.ca
Camera(s): Nikon D70s and D200

How would you classify or explain your style of dog photography?
I like to think that I capture the essence of my subjects. I love to take action photos of dogs regardless of whether it’s a dog participating in a dog sport such as agility, fly ball, disc, French Ring or Schutzhund (just
to name a few). But, I like to capture a dog’s personality during a portrait session as well. I love it when a dog “smiles”! I prefer natural, outdoor lighting but am learning the “ins and outs” of studio lighting and am happy with my progress in that domain to date.

How did you get into doing dog-related photography?
Ummm…by being dog obsessed!! When I was a kid, I used to take photos of my neighbours’ dogs with my little 110 film camera. I still have some of those pictures! I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was a child but it was a dream that was never reached. Now I get to preserve people’s memories of their dogs instead.

When did you first realize you are a photographer?
I’m not sure. I didn’t start learning how to use an SLR camera until I was in my thirties. Before then, I took a lot of pictures but could never get the results I wanted because I didn’t have the knowledge. So, I would
have to say when I bought my first film SLR and really started learning how to use a camera to get the results that I wanted.

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(Ottawa Dog of the Week for December 15th/08)

“I adopted Kirby at 14 weeks old, after his first family decided they should have done more research into puppies and breeds before getting a dog. Since coming into my life, Kirby has blossomed into a (mostly!) well-mannered, goofy, active and extremely loving boy. I couldn’t imagine life without him – he brightens every moment of every day!”

Kirby’s favourite pastimes include swimming, digging, learning to be obedient with the help of his friends at Ottawa Canine School (he’s got two levels so far!), playing rough with his many, many puppy-pals, frequenting Ottawa’s various dog parks – particularly Stanley Park, helping his mom study for school (but only after a long walk or a swim!), learning agility, chasing squirrels, being lazy on the couch, visiting his Grandma and Grandpa’s cottage, barking at the neighbours, herding his mom’s cats, being told he’s handsome while getting some lovin’, playing with toys – especially the ones that squeak, honk, quack, and cheese!

Kirby’s least favourite things are the car (it makes him drool….big time!), learning not to antagonizing his mom’s cats, and small kitchen appliances, power tools and the vacuum (really, anything electric that makes noise!!) – oh and nap time! He hates that!

When Kirby grows up, he hopes to learn to be a therapy dog because he has heard that means lots of cuddling and kisses. He hopes to someday compete in agility and maybe, even pass the Canine Good Neighbour Test – provided he can get over his fear of scary things, like umbrellas and unfamiliar situations, but his mom has no doubt he can do it because he has already learned so much in their 9 months together!” – Kirby’s Mom, Adrienne

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In October of this year, Paddington and I started doing Flyball with Pam Casselman. Pam has won many championships with her dogs and has been teaching Flyball and Agility classes for six years. She is the team captain of award winning Flyball Team, Burnin’ Rubber and also runs a successful grooming business called Pam’s Pooch Parlour.

Before we began classes, I didn’t really know what Flyball was – only that it involved two of Paddington’s favourite things; balls and running. Perfect. We showed up for our first class, excited and ready to go.

Flyball is a dog sport where dogs perform a relay race on a team by running over hurdles, getting a ball and running back over the hurdles to the owner. Seems simple enough. The goal is to do it the fastest and most efficiently and this is why training is necessary.

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