Aussie survives the odds and sets record
Imagine being kicked out your house, living alone for two years, and then finding out you have a series of health issues that should kill you within the next six months. And you are a senior citizen.
Then imagine competing in a series of athletic competitions, and beating others not even a quarter your age.
That's what Pockets, a 15-year-old blue merle Australian Shepherd, had to endure on her way to becoming the oldest dog to earn a title from the American Kennel Club. She qualified for her third leg towards her Rally Novice title at the Anoka County Minnesota Kennel Club's rally trial, held today at Total Recall School for Dogs in Hugo, Minnesota.
Around the age of 8, Pockets was exiled from her house to a concrete run. With no companionship and little exercise, she developed problems in her sacrum and neck. She also became infected with heartworms. The resulting infestation weakened her pulmonary system and threatened her health. At the age of 10 1/2, the Massachusetts chapter of Aussie Rescue and Placement Helpline (ARPH) became involved in her case when a traveling veterinarian noticed the dog in the run. She was whisked into the rescue program and eventually adopted by Adam and Amy Conn.
Pockets faced numerous health issues, and suffered many near-death experiences and a move to Minnesota in the next few years. From a vagal nerve episode to hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, she bounced back from each illness with remarkable aplomb, seeming to get stronger with each illness defeating.
"That's when I decided to put a title on her," explains Adam Conn. "The AKC approved Rally as a titling event as of January 1, 2005, so I told her she'd get registered to compete." Conn then submitted her information and photographs to be registered through AKC's Indefinite Listing Program. She was transformed from just plain "Pockets" to "Capezza's Pick Your Pockets," named in honor of the ARPH rescue chair who placed Pockets with the Conns.
While training her towards competition in Rally, Pockets earned her Canine Good Citizen® award from the AKC. She had been serving as the "friendly dog" by the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of the Greater Twin Cities during their Swiss Fun Match in April 2005. She then was put through the test itself, and passed.
Rally is a sport in which the dog and handler complete a course designed by the rally judge. The judge tells the handler to begin, and the dog and handler proceed at their own pace through a course of designated stations (ten to twenty, depending on the level). Each of these stations has a sign providing instructions regarding the next skill that is to be performed. These exercises can range from having the dog and handler weave through cones to the dog heeling and sitting with the handler taking a series of steps.
In her first two trials, Pockets qualified with scores of 77 and 81 (out of 100, a score of 70 is qualifying), finishing in the middle of the pack in terms of qualifying scores. Needing only one more qualifying score to complete the title, Pockets didn't qualify in her next trial, but eked out a passing 72 in Hugo on Friday. At the age of 15 years-, 5 weeks-old, Capezza's Pick Your Pockets CGC RN is the oldest dog to earn a title in AKC competition. She has set the bar quite high, considering most competition dogs have retired well before the age of 12.
Pockets has been featured in articles in the Plymouth Sun and the Minneapolis - St. Paul Star Tribune.
File last modified October 30, 2005
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