Melanie Moser

For Dogs Only is owned by me, Melanie Moser.

I’ve enjoyed dog training for almost 35 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/educator, 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. Bobbi taught me a lot of things about agility which I pass along to my agility students.

I now have four dogs (the Labs Jemi, Ferret and Shack and one Aussie Ria). Jemi has numerous AKC titles, including a PAX and the Triple Q title. She is also the first CPE C-ATCH and C-ATE in Texas, and working on another. Ria has a lot of AKC titles as well, and has 2 C-ATCH’s and is working on a C-ATE. Ferret is mostly retired, but she has 2 CS-ATCH’s (specialists only need to jump 8" lower than their official jump height and can skip two classes). Puppy Shack is just getting started in agility, working on a 1000 point title in CPE and going to AKC trials for the experiences. I have also trialed in USDAA and ASCA, but it is hard to find time to do more with a full time job.

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. Since we started the CPE club A!WOOF we have 7 trials a year at FDO and we have expanded the facility to include a small office building. CPE is so much fun...it’s like a party once a month with dogs. Plus CPE is a wonderful low stress way to start young dogs and green handlers. It really is agility the way it was meant to be.

I would love to hear from you...your thoughts, ideas and suggestions. Please email me! Please email me! melanie@dogsneedajob.com

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Amanda Haynes

Stay tuned. Bio coming shortly.

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Kathy Dudley-Scott

My name is Kathy Dudley-Scott. Currently I work for Free Lighting Corporation and run A!WOOF Agility. I did teach Physics/Chemistry Labs at A&M Galveston and have taught at the high school level for 16 years.

Growing up in Maine, I was an avid rider and trainer of horses. 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 now gone at 17 and was the best barn dog ever.

About fourteen years ago my ex-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 ex-husband said he wanted a female so I brought home Sally from the same breeder. While I was gone he 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 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 (2000) and did not know about blood lines and health issues; they both had a tendency for seizures. Through research and luck I found Henery in Idaho (2003) and had him shipped to me on a goat transport. He is my top dog now and we are becoming a brilliant team earning titles in CPE, AKC, ASCA, NADAC and USDAA. Along the way I rescued Amy as she had mange but she only does agility at home. Grady was given to me by a person who could not handle his high drive. He competed in CPE, AKC, ASCA, USDAA, and NADAC and holds titles in all venues. Grady has a new home with Ron and Susan and has earned five C-ATCH titles and a CS-ATE title with Susan in CPE.

The next addition was Teagan. She is a red BC rescue from BARC and has earned 1000 Lifetime Points in CPE and is working on her C-ATCH. She is in Excellent in AKC. Then came Lyla, a Poodle, in 2011. She is working on a MACH in AKC and a C-ATCH in CPE. The latest addition is Ping, the 10lb crazy thing, in February 2013 my foster failure. She is working on being a team player and is fearless on the Agility field.

Sally and Henery and I spent a summer in Maine 2006 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. Sally, Henery, Grady and Buddy have earned their CPE Agility Trial Champion- C-ATCH titles.

Buddy competed with several Junior handlers in CPE and he has stage credits of Toto in the Wizard of Oz musical at the high school and in The Houston Grand Opera's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream 2009. He passed on in November 2013. Sally also only competed in CPE until she passed on in 2011.

I am the founder of A!WOOF Agility, a CPE based venue. We host 7 agility trials a year and have designed them to be like going to a picnic with your pups and playing field games with your dog teammate. I have a great team of friends and fellow competitors that help host the A!WOOF trials. My dogs and I and fellow A!WOOF members have attended CPE Nationals in 4 states and I plan my vacation around that event.

Most of my A!WOOF group are also members of NACDA, an AKC club that hosts 3 trials a year. My current students have become successful competitively in both AKC and CPE venues. I enjoy training all breeds especially those dogs that are ”not supposed to do Agility.” What a blast to see them qualify in competition. I am happy to teach children to play Agility with their dogs. Rule number one is to have fun.

I use my personal dogs as demo dogs to show a handling skill or to have a handler practice a skill with an experienced dog. All of my classes are designed to build the relationship between dog and handler using positive reinforcement.

I enjoy competing but I leave it up to the student if they wish to compete or come to class for fun. As long as the team is happy all is right with the world.

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 NACDA, an AKC club, DASH, a USDAA club, and created A!WOOF, a CPE club. I teach or attend agility classes 4 nights a week currently.

I own 3 Border Collies, a Blue healer who is 16 years old, a Poodle and a Ping (we think she is chihuahua mix) who all have jobs. I am still striving to become a fluent team with my competitive dogs. Each time I get out on the field with a dog it is a new and interesting experience. Yes you can teach an old dog new tricks if you are willing to do it with a smile, and you become a puppy Pez dispenser of treats. When it all comes together and you and your dog work as one it is like walking on clouds or a joyful dance. What more can I say....Agility Rocks!

keds8@aol.com
281-534-4288 (h) or 281-455-0500 (c)

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