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JoAnn Hoffpauir
Sharon Lafuse
Kathy Dudley-Scott
For Dogs Only is owned by me, Melanie Lesko.
I’ve enjoyed dog training for almost 30 years. As a young girl I dreamed of training animals, and read every book in the library about horses and dogs. But, it wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I finally got a puppy and could begin obedience training. I was hooked almost immediately, but Francie was a mixed breed rescue, and there was no opportunity for competition. My next dog was Scenari, an American Cocker Spaniel. I showed her in both conformation and obedience, achieving an AKC obedience Companion Dog (CD).
Over the next 18 years I was busy raising my human family and a few Cockers, and working on my career as a chemist, so I had little opportunity for further showing or training. In my next foray into the dog world I chose a Labrador Retriever, Bobbi. The summer after acquiring Bobbi, I went to the Astroworld Series of Dog Shows and discovered the sport of agility. I was hooked again, but before Bobbi began her ability career, I showed her in obedience to a CD, then my daughter Lisa, Bobbi, and I started learning agility.
I now have four Labs (Bobbi, Sami, Jemi and Ferret), all of whom have multiple agility titles. I still work full time, and do as much agility as I can find time for in AKC, USDAA, ASCA, and now CPE.
For Dogs Only is the realization of a dream, and my passion is to provide quality facilities and equipment for dog sports and training in my area, Galveston County and southeast Houston. I would love to hear from you...your thoughts, ideas and suggestions. Please email me! melanie@dogsneedajob.com
I have had dogs all of my life and love having them as my companions. I have two grown daughters who experienced having pets through their childhood and now my nine grandchildren are enjoying their pets. The saying” a house is not a home without a dog” is so true.
I have trained my dogs in competitive obedience and agility for the past 22 years. In January of 2005 Rally was introduced and my dogs are enjoying performing and are titling in this new venue. Smokee earned his RAE in December 2005. Though the years my dogs and I have participated in AKC, UKC and NADAC events and have earned 66 titles. They have won many placements, Dog World Awards, and high in trials (HIT). My Breed Champion Beau won a 4th place in the 1998 Pupperoni Agility Classic in his 16 “ jump height. In 2003 Smokee earned the Keeshond Club of America Obedience Hall of Fame award and was invited to the 2003 AKC Obedience Invitational. For five years Smokee has been one of the top obedience Keeshond in the country. Some of my dogs have been therapy dogs though the years and all of them are Canine Good Citizens.
In 2006 Rockee was
rated the number 3 Keeshond in obedience by AKC and by the Keeshond
Club of America. He earned his RAE in Rally in 2007. Sally earned her
CDX in 2006. Smokee has 9 legs and needs 1 more for his UDX title.
Smokee was
on AKC's December 2006 Obedience Invitational list as one
of the top Keeshonden in the country.
I have instructed obedience, agility and puppy classes with a variety of breeds. For many years, I worked with Keeshond rescue. Working with rescue allowed me to work with behavior problems, rehabilitate, train, and place 80 dogs into loving homes. I have four Keeshonden: Smokee, Sally, Misty and Rockee. All of my present dogs are rescues that live with my husband and me.
Besides teaching
classes, I will be available to instruct
private lessons, made by appointment. If you are interested in
instruction and need help with a problem, contact
me.
Jo Ann Hoffpauir
18 Kenny Court., Alvin, TX 77511
281-581-9151 or 281-393-1143
Email address: musikkee@wt.net or musikkee@gmail.com
My name is Sharon
Lafuse
and I have loved
dogs my whole
life. I have a picture of me at three years old with my arms around my
grandfather’s Cocker Spaniel Honey. At thirteen I trained our family
Collie
Prince in 4-H obedience. On my fourteenth birthday I saw a female
Belgian
Sheepdog puppy and fell in love with the breed. Seven months later I
got my
first Belgian Sheepdog Amebae. After graduating from college and moving
to
Scott
My name is Kathy Dudley-Scott. I teach Physics and Chemistry at the high school level. Growing up in Maine, I was an avid horse rider and trainer. My parents were cat people so I did not have a dog until I was away at college. My first dog was a Lab mix Zorro who was very forgiving to me as I was a novice dog owner.
When I came to school in Galveston at Texas A&M I supplemented my income as a horse-drawn carriage driver. One afternoon a street person offered me a puppy for $5. She is 16 now and the best barn dog ever. Seven years ago my husband decided that he wanted a female Border Collie with a full white collar. I was working at a pet store for the summer and a woman offered some BC puppies to the shop on consignment. I went to her house and picked out Buddy. My husband said he wanted a female so I brought home Sally from the same litter. While I was gone Andy had decided that Buddy was his dog. So Sally became my girl. I trained them in the basics: sit, down, shake, stay, come and fetch.
When they were about 2 years old Buddy and I went to the Kwik Kar for an oil change and we ran into Melanie (who had taught me Organic Chemistry at A&M.) We of course started talking about dogs. She wanted to start giving agility classes and my dogs needed a job. So off I went to class with two border collies and no clue. I was hooked. I trained for a year or so and then went to my first NADAC trial. What an experience! I did not realize that you had to be fast and do it all correctly.
After that trial we got much better at competing. I also started looking for a top notch agility BC. I was an ignorant buyer when I bought Buddy and Sally and did not know about blood lines and health issues; they both have a tendency for seizures. Through research and luck I found Henery in Idaho and had him shipped to me on a goat transport. He is almost 4 now and we are becoming a brilliant team. Along the way I rescued Amy as she had mange but she only does agility at home, and Grady was given to me by a person who could not handle his high drive. He is now in training and has one snooker Q in level 1 CPE.
Sally and Henery and I spent last summer in Maine where we were introduced to CPE while we were on the 2nd and 3rd place teams in the Canadian/American games. We enjoyed the venue so much that we brought it back to Texas with us as A!WOOF (Agility with our other friends.) With Melanie’s help and support we now hold CPE trials at her For Dogs Only training facility.
Buddy no longer competes due to injuries from bad conformation and sheep herding but he was Toto in this year's Wizard of Oz musical at the high school and will start rally obedience this summer as it is less demanding physically. Sally is in Excellent/open in AKC and ASCA and in Advanced USDAA and NADAC and Level 3 CPE and Novice Rally-O AKC. Henery is in Open AKC, Elite ASCA, Starters/advanced NADAC and USDAA and Level 2/3 CPE.
The agility dog world
has opened up a whole new range of interests and introduced me to
numerous interesting like-minded people filling the hole in my social
life. What better way to spend a weekend than with friends and your
dogs at the agility trial cheering, commiserating and analyzing your
performance. There is always something new to learn. I am a member of
NADFA, an AKC club, NHASC, a NADAC/ASCA club, DASH, a USDAA club, and
A!WOOF a CPE club. I attend classes 3 nights a week currently. I own 5
Border Collies, a
Blue healer and a mutt, who all have jobs. I am still striving to
become a fluent team with my competitive dogs. When it does click it is
like walkingon clouds. What more can I say….Agility Rocks!
keds8@aol.com
281-534-4288 (h) or 281-455-0500 (m)