Summer 2019 Saber Tails 41
Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America
(left) Leah competes in many venues, the latest being Scent Work.
Sweet Pink is turning her people-loving nature
towards her new career as a therapy dog.
Jax in the Obedience ring. He enjoys success in many
of the Companion Events.
I am just along for the show. Lately Leah is enjoying Scent Work. We
started learning Scent Work in 2017, a few months before the 2018
PBGVCA Nationals in Reno; we took no real classes, just had some
tips from a friend. Leah immediately took to finding the scent and
can usually find the target scent when hidden within the house or
in the yard. In trials, however, in Reno and Kerrville, I found that I
have a hard time telling when Leah has identified the location of the
scent. Leah is loving, funny, hardheaded, and independent; basically
she is a true PBGV.
“PinK”
Owned
by
S
andy
b
UStin
GCH CH Crepu Visage & Suton’s Get the Party Started is a Zouk daugh-
ter, and she looks a lot like him. She was a singleton puppy and as such she
inherited all the mischief, energy, gregariousness, and curiosity that would
otherwise have been equally distributed amongst a litter of PBGVs. She
got it all. The first two years with her were a challenge to me as her energy
was boundless. Zouk wondered if her batteries would ever lose charge and
I loaded up on vitamins and energy drinks.
Pink is now 6 years old. She went from constantly wild and crazy to a
mellower version. Pink is the, cutest, sweetest, happiest, most affectionate
little girl. She has represented the breed at the Meet The Breed booth in
Orlando each year as part of the Royal Canin Dog Shows and is always a
hit with the public. This fall, Pink is hoping to be accepted into the Ther-
apy Dog Program at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. She is a people
magnet, loves everyone (especially children) so I want to share the joy she is with those in need of smiles and comfort.
Being a therapy dog at the hospital will be the perfect job for her. She brings smiles to everyone she encounters and
that will include people coping with stress and illness. Pink is also trying her nose at Hunting and Scent Work and
seems to enjoy both.
“JaX”
Owned
by
S
teve
r
OCHe
& M
arCia
M
C
G
inniS
Sonora Jax RN CGCA TKI, is 5 years old and is the grandson of
Zouk. Jax is a fun and affectionate dog, quick to jump in my lap or
the lap of anyone who has come to visit. He is stubborn but willing
to please once he understands what you want and what you are offer-
ing in exchange for the behavior you seek. Jax has attended classes in
Obedience, Rally, Agility, and Nose Work, and has completed test-
ing for CGC, CGCA and Trick Dog titles. He has qualifying legs in
Novice Scent Work, Beginner Novice Obedience and Intermediate
Rally.
Jax defines “free of voice,” at times much to our dismay. If he sees
a rabbit in the yard, chaos reigns. If someone is walking his dog
past our house, we hear about it, no matter how far away they may
be. Jax has chased squirrels since the first day we brought him home from Arizona, and has had three known close
encounters. The first, the squirrel must have sought revenge because Jax had a bloody claw scratch across his big black
nose. The second, I was walking him on leash when a young squirrel poked its head out of a bush on an elevated wall,
eye level to him, and Jax leaned over and kissed the squirrel. The third, we aren’t exactly sure how it all happened, but
we found a dead squirrel on the patio missing a few appendages. The PBGVs were no longer interested in it, despite
the fact that if we see road-kill-squirrels on the street, they always have to investigate the cause of death. Although the
breeder said she doesn’t “breed for brains,” we feel incredibly lucky to have this smart dog; the challenge has always
been whether he will use his smarts for good.