Meet The Team

I am a 3½ year old Golden Retriever called Sophie, I have been living with Mum & Dad (Carole & Rob) since I was 6 weeks old. Life has always been busy here. I started with toilet training it was very difficult lifting up the seat and pressing the button but everyone knows my Mom is good at training dogs! Playing with lots of toys came next, retrieving them on the kitchen floor - this training life seems good fun! Now what has she put around my neck? It wont scratch off, this seems more serious.... Then there's what she calls a lead. Sit, down, stand, come, leave, no, good girl - I have to remember all the words, or as my Mom says - 'its all in the tone of how she say's it'

I then achieved my Kennel Club Puppy Foundation Award, for all my basic training. Bronze, Silver & Gold Good Citizen Awards followed, Mom seemed very pleased with me. There seemed to be a lot of practices for they all appeared to be talking about at the time - the Whitchurch Dog Display Team. This is where all us doggies plus Mums & Dads are left in different formations. Then all us doggies are left in a big circle, I found in my youth that this was a good opportunity to run round all the other dogs saying hello! But I have now grown out of that. I must not forget the fun all us doggies have doing the agility, I like to out run my Mom as she is getting older now you know! I also like to see the crowds faces, especially the children when I jump through fire. I am also the dog you will see trying to put the fire out with my bucket at the end of the display, although I would rather drink the water myself!

I am also a 'Pet's As Therapy' dog, Mom is hopefully going to find more time this year for doing this. Because my Mom does the dog training I have to go with her to show the other pooches how it is done, although some times I like to have a bit of fun when I am doing this to show her up a bit! I wouldn't telly my Mom this but on the whole I have a great time seeing her so pleased with me. I know she is because she says 'Good Girl' a lot...

Kacey is now two years old his training is progressing, he is a very active and intelligent dog and typical of his breed.

His latest photo’s show how he has grown into a very handsome dog with a wonderful character.

He has achieved his Bronze and Silver Kennel Club Good Citizen Awards, his busy schedule with the display team has delayed his Gold assessment.

Kacey has showed a keen interest in the display work thoroughly enjoying the agility equipment, and loves his Pink Teddy Bear which he carries along the dog walk and through the fire hoops. I know he would eventually like to retrieve his teddy through the fire like some of his other doggy friends. He is also coming along very nicely with his heel work to music manoeuvres, you may have already seen him doing his bows, twirls, rolls and walking backwards at our displays. Eventually I am hoping to do a Heelwork to Music Competition with him along with Sophie. I am a little delayed at the moment with this training due to having a fractured bone in my foot as a result of practising the agility.

I am so pleased with Kacey he loves to work and I can see in his expression how much he loves to please me.

Emma is a rescue dog from Grinshill, she has been with Jill and Husband Gerry since she was four and a half, and is now eight (nine in May) we have been in the display team for nearly 4 years. She really loves the agility, having competed in some competitions, and the fire jumping has got to be her favourite!

She goes to work every day with Jill and sits in the shop window attracting customers watching the world and their dogs go by! Very often you can hear people sing - 'How much is that doggy in the window'! Jill and Gerry own Inglenook Fine Arts, who is one of the sponsors of the Display Team having branches in Whitchurch and Nantwich. They are picture framers and restorers and as a professional artist Jill specializes in Dog Portraits. Their web site is www.inglenookfinearts.com

Becks is a four year old Yellow Labrador Bitch. She has achieved Bronze, Silver and Gold Standard in the 'Kennel Club Good Citizen Award'. Becks has been in the Whitchurch Dog Display Team for nearly three years, after her initial training with Carol Hill at Walford College, and they both enjoy it very much.

She has also passed her test to become a P.A.T dog (Pet's as Therapy) which allows Dave to take her into places such as hospitals and Old People's Homes, on a regular basis. Dave is also a qualified P.A.T Dog Assessor. If you are interested in your dog becoming a P.A.T Dog then visit the web site www.petsastherapy.org

Rosie is a Labrador Retriever. She is five years old and has been a member of the team for four years. Everyday Rosie goes to work with Fergie (her son), Sara and her parents at the family business in Four Crosses. Rosie has various jobs at work which include distributing the post when it arrives to the correct desk's!!

Rosie has achieved her Puppy, Bronze, Silver & Gold Awards with the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme. She passed all of these, with the help of Carole Hill, first time. Rosie has passed her test to become a P.A.T Dog. Rosie & Sara regually visit a hospital as a P.A.T which they both really enjoy.

Fergie was born on the 14th June 2007. He is Rosie little boy, although not so little anymore as he has grown up alot! He seems to be doing well and listening to Sara, but that will probably all change when he becomes a 'teenager'.. He completed his Puppy, Bronze, Silver and Gold all before he was one year old - all thanks to help recieved from Carole at college classes. 2008 was his first year in the team and towards the end of the season became a full member as he was old enough to jump. He loves the displays and gets really excited when he knows where he is going!

He goes to work with his Mum and Sara - trying to teach him the post thing - but not trusting him with it at the moment as he likes to shred them! Above is a picture of Fergie when he was smaller and a more recent piccy!!

This is Luka. He is a Collie/Labrador cross and about 4 and a half years old. Luka is a Grinshill rescue dog and has lived with Grania since she re-homed him in March 2005.

Luka has gained his Bronze, Silver and Gold standard in the Kennel Club Good Citizen Award scheme at Walford College and has been in the display team since March 2006.

Luka adores the agility side of the displays and can often be seen racing off on a course of his own choosing in preference to the one he's supposed to be following!

Shilo would like to say; I am four years old and achieved his Gold Award, under the guidance of Carole Hill, at Walford College. I have been in the display team for two years.

I came to live with George, Mary and Mel, when I was re-homed at six months old.

Hodge is a five year old Jack Russell Terrier and has been with his owner Donald Witherington since he was nine weeks old. They went to North Shropshire College dog training classes at Whitchurch run by Carole Hill where Hodge gained the Kennel Clubs Good Citizens Bronze, Silver & Gold awards. Donald and Hodge have had a lot of pleasure with Whitchurch Dog Display Team since 2004. In 2005 Hodge was named 'Dog of the Year' an award given to the dog with the most votes from the other members from the team. Hodge is also a 'Pets as Therapy' registered dog.

Meg is a 6 year old Border Collie. She has achieved her Bronze, Silver and Gold 'Kennel Club Good Citizen Award', with Carole at Walford College. We joined the display team in March 2007. Meg loves the agility side of the displays and can often be heard barking in excitement from the side lines!!!!

Meg was named "Dog of the Year" for 2007, as voted for by members of the team, which we are both very very very proud of!!!!

In June 2008, Meg became a registered PAT dog and is now raring to go and meet lots of new people.

Frankie is a 'Collabrador' (layman's term is a collie x Lab). This black beauty was born on 6th November 2003; owned by Marion and Nina and lives in Dudleston Heath. We had Frankie at 10 weeks old, and she has always been such a model dog. (O.K we are a little biased!) She is a very bouncy, fun loving and adoring dog who is a very happy dog too! Frankie goes to work with Marion in her Vito van (Frankie's second home) every day, doing Home and Garden Maintenance for people in a 20 mile radius. Frankie gives a lot of pleasure to all my clients and she knows how to train them all, in the art of 'give this starving dog a biscuit'! ( 'Mum's clients spoil me rotten')

In June 2007 Frankie achieved her Bronze, Silver and Gold with the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme held at Ellesmere in just 10 weeks. This isn't normal and we have been at various training sessions since Frankie was five months old. So all the time and effort we have put into training has all been well worth it.

At the end of June 2007 we joined Carole and the Whitchurch Dog Display Team. We are now travelling the country, having fun and a great time. Showing off and giving enjoyment to anyone and everyone that wants to watch! She enjoys everything we do with her, but I think her favourite game is agility. She especially enjoys it when people clap and cheer her; if you see us out and about please come up and say hello, I'm sure she would like to say hello to you....

Frankie passed as a P.A.T dog in October 2007 and is now in regular placements bring cheer to many people, and I think Frankie is quite enjoying it too!

Blue is a Labrador / Greyhound cross and is approximately three and a half years old (Sept 2007). He is from Grinshill Animal Rescue centre. He had been at the centre for seven months until we re-homed him in July 2005.

He has achieved his Bronze, Silver and Gold 'Kennel Club Good Citizen Awards' from his training with Carole Hill at the Whitchurch and North Shropshire College.

Blue has been in the team for about one and a half years and thoroughly enjoys the attention, although his obedience is not perfect! He loves to run around the agility course and compete in the relay race.

Blue was named team dog of the year in 2006 and although the picture shows him in his jailbreak costume, he is a very good boy really!!

Jake is a Border Collie he is now 2 years, born in January 2006 he has been with us since he was 9 weeks old. He is a very nervous dog, frightened of thunder and fireworks but is now getting to enjoy himself on the Agility course.

Jake has gained his Puppy, Bronze, Silver and Gold awards in the Kennel Club Good Citizen scheme with Carole at Walford College.

Alfie is a 15 month old Black Labradoodle. He lives with Emma, her family and two cats. He has so far passed his Bronze and Silver Standard in the "Kennel Club Good Citizen Award". Alfie joined the Display Team at the end of last year, only going to one show, not being able to do much being too young. This year he is full of go, and very keen.

Alfie is a very enthusiatic boy, extremely friendly and enjoys all in life, including Food, Walks and pinching the best seat on the sofa to watch T.V. !! Here he is pictured with his best mate Pebbles, one of the cats.

Hi! My name is Maxxi and I am a 4 year old German Shepherd dog. I have been living with Maciek, Alison, James and Jonty, Tikka, Sheba and Chiara since July 2008. I started out with the police, but they said I was too boisterous and this is now my fourth home. Happily, I have been told I will be staying here, which is a big relief. I love walks and chasing balls round the garden. I have passed my Bronze, Silver and Gold Kennel Club Good Citizen Awards with Maciek (and of course with Carole our trainer’s help). I have been a member of the Whitchurch Dog Display Team since August 2008. I like to go out to the displays because I meet people and I get lots of cuddles. Doing the obedience for the displays is OK, but the agility and relays are much more fun.

Not a lot is known about Tikka’s (or Tia’s) life before we rehomed her aged two from Ted at Lancs GSD Rescue. We know she was used as a guard dog on a reclamation yard and believe that she had things thrown at her and was hit in order to make her aggressive. We also know that she was rescued from there by a couple who had other dogs. However, the husband got a job as a long distance lorry driver and Tikka was given to Ted.

I had just retired my greyhound from the Whitchurch Dog Display Team and was looking for a family dog which would be able to take over from where I left off with Chiara. What I fell in love with was a small GSD bitch with a strong personality. I walked her at Ted’s with no problems (but we met no elderly people, no children and no dogs). She turned out to be terrified of dogs and people of all ages (not everyone, just some). Her terror made her aggressive. She would ‘kick off’, barking, snarling, leaping up into the air and then lunging at whoever or whatever had upset her – cows, sheep, chickens and horses can be added to this list.

I wept lots of tears as I struggled with ‘Miss Manic’. She was very loving at home where she fitted in well with our other dogs, but a dervish in public. I had three choices that I could see. One was that she was given back to Ted (not really an option), one was that I kept her at home and we never went anywhere together (not also really an option as we keep chickens and a horse), or I tackled her problem.

So Mark paid three visits to the house (a 75 mile round trip). We took her for walks in public, building both her and my confidence. I took her to Mark’s day long classes and had considerable help from both him and Ted. Jan at LGSD received daily emails and was very supportive. I took her to dog training classes twice a week locally and also had a lot of one to one training from a local dog trainer. I bombarded her with dogs of all sizes, ages, shapes and colours and their handlers who were also of different sizes, ages, shapes and colours!

We’ve had her a year now and she’s still a long way from being perfect. BUT we have rejoined the Dog Display Team and have done four displays this year. She is fine when she’s working or off lead, but I still have a few problems when we meet other dogs in public. On the plus side, she now goes up to people she doesn’t know for pats and strokes. I keep a close eye on her, but she can be surrounded by small children stroking her, and all I can see is a dog with a happy waving tail. I still have a long way to go to get her relaxed with dogs she doesn’t know. She’s been a serious challenge, but I can now see light at the end of the tunnel.

If you are a member of the team and want to appear on this page or you are already on here and want to have an update then please e-mail me at sara@wddt.org with the details and pictures.