The first Dog Star is Sneakers.  His patience while I have been working on this web site has been amazing.

Sneakers arrived in Alaska at the tender age of 9 months from Dallas, Texas where he had been deftly schooled by his father Taz and best buddies.  They would swim in the lake with Deb Casey who and protect their property from the neighbor's chickens.  He soon learned that Alaskan waters are a bit cooler than what he had known in Texas.  Though ironically, we had chickens for him to patrol and also lived on a cul-de-sac so he could keep well-muscled "spinning" the cars to the end and back again.

For such a young dog, Sneakers arrived with many talents.  Perhaps the most "wonderful" was his ability to howl on cue.  Thank you, Deb.  He has of course passed this talent along to the other dogs in the family so on Sunday morning when the church bells ring, Sneakers starts the opening hymn.  So much for only howling when someone says, "Sneakers, How are you?" 

Although we took time to go hiking in the Talkeetna Mountains and playing fetch in the lake (you don't think I'm going swimming in these lakes do you? brrrrr) , Sneakers was put right to work and had his CGC within 2 weeks.  He traveled to Kenai, Alaska for 3 days of dog shows and picked up his majors and 9 points before he'd been in Alaska even one month.  As he was learning to stack, heel, stay, recall, front, and finish; I was learning that a  large dog could silently disappear without trace into the woods dragging a 50 ft check cord.  I also learned that even the best training intentions cannot stop a dog from barking when that dog simply enjoys barking.  Sneakers showed me he could indeed catch rabbits and squirrels which he would bring to me and offer as gifts.  Not one was injured - he was so gentle that they would run off as soon as he released them at my feet. 

Once I thought we had fairly mastered the basics of Novice Obedience competition, I entered him in a few trials.  The very first trial he qualified on his individual exercises.  Then during the long down stay, a group of kids ran down the gravel embankment behind the dogs screaming and wielding sticks.  He looked behind him and back at me in disbelief.  Then he looked down that line of labs, goldens, and hounds who could care less about the apparently imminent attack.  So, he stood up and squared off to the bank and barked his loud alarm bark about a heartbeat before the judge says, "Back to your dogs!"  Thus, was my introduction to trialing obedience with an ACD.

The next day, he was also qualifying when he recalled the previous day's festivities during the long down.  He looked and looked for those kids and finally stood up to see over the gating a little better.  He did notice the patrol now stationed on the top of the bank to prevent any further interruptions of group exercises.  Of course, it was about that time he realized he wasn't supposed to be standing.  The judge decided he would just reach out and take his collar.  Sneaker took one look at the judge and decided that he might be in really big trouble so he simply stepped away.  The judge stepped closer - Sneaker stepped away again.  Then they methodically worked their way down the entire line of down-stayed dogs.  Finally, at the end of the line, a young lab decided this was a neat game and joined in.  Sneaker looked back toward me and I simply gave him a visual drop signal and he dropped to the ground.  The judge took his collar and saying, "I'm not afraid of heelers!"  All this and he was only  18 months old.

It was quite a while before Sneaker and I entered the obedience ring with Sneakers again. 

Sneaker finished his championship in the breed ring and we began work on his certification to be a therapy dog which he readily obtained.  He now has his CD as well qualifying in 3 of the next 4 trials we entered. The day he acquired that last leg we explained to the judge how this accomplishment finished the last requirement necessary to make Sneaker's sire, Taz, a Register of Merit ACD - the 1st 4th generation ROM at that.  The judge announced it to the audience and we received a standing ovation.  What a thrill.  He was my companion in the obedience and puppy classes I taught - always comfortable and happiest around other dogs.  I tried to get him interested in herding my ducks as my other dogs really enjoyed it so much and I knew Sneaker would be a good herder.  He flat refused to work those ducks. 

So, I hauled Sneakers all the way to Fairbanks one July to meet Lynn Leach.  Lynn had started Sneaker's dad, Taz, in herding and agreed to help me with Sneaker.  That was probably the best week of my entire life.  Herding is great fun.  Working with the dogs doing something they were bred to the very core of their being to do and something they enjoy just as deeply is a thrill.  I learned a lot  from Lynn and Sneakers!  Deb Casey has had Sneakers best interest at heart from the beginning and without her support and encouragement, I would not have known what a great dog he is.  We have been called by animal control to gather up errant goats, cattle, sheep, and even llamas.  Sneaker has done a wonderful job.  He is also an "honorary scot" at our highland games where he participates in the herding demonstration wearing his swatch of tartan. 

Sneakers has also done very well in the breed conformation ring.  He won a Group 2 placement in the Alaska Kennel Club shows January of 2000.  The German Shepherd Dog was the only herding dog he didn't beat that day and that dog went on to take Best in Show.  What a thrill!  He picked up over 100 breed points in one show ranking him 1 in our region and 4 for the nation for several months.  But, we had higher duties in obedience calling, so I didn't continue to show Sneakers in the breed ring much after that.  He has numerous Best of Breed wins to his record.

I now have a toddler and a puppy.  Sneaker is their guardian.  He is also a great aid to me with my health problems.  Recently, I attended a dog show without Sneaker.  That isn't something I usually do.  He goes EVERYWHERE with me.  I was continually having troubles and then I realized how much Sneaker contributes to my daily life.  I won't readily travel without him again.

Sneaker rarely barks much at all anymore.  He has been upstaged by his 1/2 sister Crystal who also inherited Taz's joy for barking.  He is working on his Open obedience and continues to enjoy herding  - even ducks now.  The time has gone quickly - he just turned 6 last week.  He is running in agility and doing very well qualifying in all but one of his first 5 runs.  I never know what he will do on any given day.  At one obedience trial, I entered him in Rally (non-regular class) just so he could go along for the day as I had another dog entered and hated to leave Sneaker home.  Speed is an essential element of Rally.  Now, Sneaker moves quickly  at home or out herding; but in obedience he appears to have muscles filled with cold hydraulic fluid).  My Sheltie usually will smoke the Rally course with his speed and precision.  I started to joke that Sneaker was going out for 1st today because the Sheltie had done so well in his class and he wasn't going to be upstaged.  Well, when we finished the course both the judge and the timer had strange looks for me.  I was just sure I had missed a sign or something.  So, I asked the timer and he said we were so fast they couldn't believe it.  Seems we had come in a full 15 seconds under course time and with the second highest score.  Sneaker took second place to an OTCH Border Collie!  He loves Rally!  You can bet we'll be running Rally for years to come.

Accuracy is Sneaker's strength in agility.  He started his agility training as a young pup accompanying my daughter to 4-H classes.  There he learned it was more secure in the tunnel than out so when I started running him in agility - he'd go into a tunnel at 100 mph and not come out.  To this day I say a little prayer at each tunnel and when he comes out I always praise him.  I've not yet worked up the courage to enter him in a NADAC tunnlers run.  We have run very few trials; but every run is clean and he has qualified in more than 1/2 the trials we have entered.  We are working toward a VCD1 so I expect he will be out in agility and later on tracking in the next few years.

Sneakers was bred to Ch Silver Hills Energizer Bunny twice.  He has puppies from coast to coast and in Europe as well.  The pups are herding, showing in the breed ring, and living wonderful lives with their families.  I understand he is already a grandfather as well.

Everywhere we go Sneakers is recognized and welcomed.  He adores children.  He is truly my star and I feel honored to be in his family constellation.  Thank you to Deb Casey for sending this marvelous dog to Alaska. 

See more photos and read more -  Sneaker

Submitted by ~ Lynn Tatro
aka Sneakers' Mom