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Canine Good Citizen/Therapy Dog |
From the Historian...
Community Service
Initially I was going to research the club’s beginnings and some of the early activities. As I went through the old photos and documents, I got side tracked. Our club has done some awesome things to help our community and I thought this might be a nice time to look back at those.
- We helped provide the first Newark Police Canine dogs. Bernie Fry and Bob White were the human half of those teams. Our support continued when those dogs retired and the next generation came in.
- We helped provide assistance dogs as that program began.
- We attended community events (often with a drill team) promoting canine companionship.
- Obedience and show classes have been a staple since the early days and continue to improve our community.
- We also hold two dog shows each year.
This legacy continues with our current endeavors. We have provided funds for the pets left behind in flood, hurricane and fire. We volunteer our time working with 4H, nursing homes, pet fairs, and countless other areas. We provide testing for Canine Good Citizen and Therapy dogs. All of this from a very diverse group of people who share the common bond of loving our pets.
Licking River Drill TeamBeginning in June 1971, Licking River Kennel Club formed an obedience drill team to perform at various local and statewide events. Included in the original members were:
Cathy Nemeth and her Golden Retriever, Nugget
Joyce Huff and her Golden Retriever, Chief
Virginia Blackston and her German Shepherd, Silver
Lynn Sellars and her Siberian Husky, Tonka
Bonnie Cordes and her Collie, Wolf
Bob Hayes and his German Shepherd, Rinnie
Bernie Frye and his German Shepherd, Shep
Bob Wainfor and his Old English Sheepdog, Major
Marian Riley and her Toy Poodle, Yum Yum
The German Shepherds owned by Bob Hayes and Bernie Frye were both working guard dogs, but worked equally well in their Drill Team roles.
The drill team appeared that first year at a July 4th Celebration in Thornville, the Dog House at the Ohio State Fair, and the Delaware County Fair. Through the years the team evolved into a teaching team, visiting various schools. Demonstrations included both the drills and the education about dogs in general based on the age level of the audience. Members were also able to have their dogs perform specialized skills like search and detect and attack/guard skills.
In 1973 OFF-LEAD magazine ran a series of articles authored by Virginia Blackston about the drill team which also described the drills performed and featured photo illustrations.
Shown starting with the foreground: Bob Wainfor, Rosemary Grube, Carolyn Martin, Virginia Blackston, Carole Brennan, and Joan Wainfor.
Other members were added with time and training:
Rosemary Grube, Joan Wainfor, Ted Riley, Dale Faye, Mitzi Paulus, Judy Riley, Steve Wainfor and Carole Brennan. Current active club members Judy Riley, Carolyn Martin, Dee Kirk and Connie Halliday were also members of the team. Attached are some photos used in articles by Off Lead Magazine about our drill team. Included in the article were detailed instructions on performing some of the drills. Thanks to everyone involved, past and current members, for their wonderful commitment! The archives include many letters of thanks from appreciative audiences.
~If there is any interest, I am in the process of scanning the entire series from OFF-LEAD to a CD for club use.
