CDX TD NA CGC NSD NRDV
"Tika"
Martika acquired us through Weimaraner Rescue when she was just over one year old. Tika's people said she was unmanageable and barked constantly; not surprising since she was kept crated in a basement for 20 hours a day, or penned in the back yard by herself. They were at least smart enough to realize they weren't cut out to be Weimaraner owners and gave her up.
Tika's owners rejected us as potential owners because we lived in the city and had a small yard (even though the large yard in the country hadn't done her any good!). Luckily, we found out about Rescue when we went to see Tika that first time and Carol Barsema of WCNI Rescue was there, too. A couple of months after that visit, Tika came to live with us and Carol told us that a professional trainer had said Tika was untrainable.
Not willing to accept that, Tika and I started to train. Her first title was her Canine Good Citizen, followed by her Novice Shooting Dog, Tracking Dog, Companion Dog, Novice Retrieving Dog, Junior Hunter, Versatile, Companion Dog Excellent and Novice Agility titles. So much for being untrainable!
In 1999, she hurt her elbow badly. This unfortunate injury has prompted her retirement from Obedience (just as we were ready to begin showing for her Utility Dog title) and Agility (one leg shy of her Novice Jumpers with Weaves title). Since we always have to have something to work on, we're continuing our training in obedience (with no jumping) and will start training for her TDX title.
We are incredibly proud of our girl! She's made our lives much richer, and I hope we've done the same for her. When working with your dog, never let anyone tell you "it can't be done!" You can accomplish anything with tons of patience, attention, love, and CHEESE!
Sally Bushwaller, Chicago, IL