There is nothing like running around on the grassy side yard for
Janet Dunn, as long as her black-and-white Papillon
–
”
Tantrum
”
– is by her side.
There is nothing like running around on the grassy side yard for Janet Dunn, as long as her black-and-white Papillon – “Tantrum” – is by her side.
Dunn, 59, loves dogs. The front of her house is littered with dog-filled signs proclaiming her love. As a longtime veterinarian in the Redwood City area, her profession even screams dog lover.
“I don’t know why,” she said, putting her hand lower to the ground. “Since I heard about it, I’ve always wanted to be a veterinarian.”
Her five-acre home just outside Hollister is a dog paradise. On a small, grassy plot next to the home’s driveway, is a pair of dog tunnels, an A-shaped ramp and other dog obstacles. And dogs routinely run across the gated land.
The obstacles are used for fun, but also to train Dunn’s dogs.
But it’s Dunn and her dog Tantrum, with big butterfly-like ears, who take part in the American Kennel Club agility events across the state and country. Dunn and Tantrum enroll in one event a month from Dixon to Prunedale.
Agility events are “designed to demonstrate a dog’s willingness to work with its handler in a variety of situations. It is an athletic event that requires conditioning, concentration, training and teamwork. Dog and handlers negotiate an obstacle course racing against the clock,” according to the AKC group.
Tantrum, a 3 ½-year-old Papillion, has been involved in agility competitions since she was just 15 months old, and earlier this year she went as far as a dog could go in the AKC, Dunn said. The pair will travel to Lievin, France to participate in the 2011 World Event Champions from Oct. 7 to Oct. 9.
See the full story in the Pinnacle on Friday.
