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My
Life by Laurie Burnam
I
can’t imagine a life without animals in it. Ever since I was little
there has been dogs, cats, horses, rabbits and many other creatures
around. When I was eight I discovered the beauty and joy of horses at
the summer camp I attended. By the time I was fourteen I had one of my
own and helped train numerous horses that came onto the boarding ranch.
I competed in horse shows riding mostly western style in equitation,
pleasure, showmanship, stock horse and trail. Received numerous
trophies, ribbons and twice won the high point year-end silver belt
buckle. When I got older I trained horses and gave riding lessons as a
business. There is nothing more satisfying than to take a horse that is
untrained and see it blossom before you, learning all sorts of signals
and exercises. I marvel every time I ride one of my horses down a busy
street and off into the hills on a trail ride at what we accomplished
together.
Around the same time that I discovered horses I took an interest in
dogs and dog obedience. Not having one of my own due to an unfenced
yard but instead having numerous cats, I borrowed one of my best
friends dogs and we both took obedience classes in the park. My first
dog as an adult was a beautiful rough coated sable and white collie
named Autumn Coally. He was so sweet and a pleasure to have around as
he did no wrong. Things changed three years later when we got Blue
Sydney, an eight-week-old blue merle Australian Shepherd. He was so
high energy and would destroy anything left in the yard. Back then
there was no such thing as crate training so when I left for work I
never knew what my home would look like when I returned. One day while
on a walk I was training Sydney to heel and sit and I had Autumn loose
walking behind us. I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw Autumn
perform what I was asking of Sydney. He would sit so nicely when I
halted then move forward when I said heel. They were best friends and
loved to go on trail rides with my horses. It was every girls dream.
The summer of 96 I met a women. Linda Lamon, who was involved in Aussie
rescue. Having just lost Sydney after 13 years I decided to be a foster
person for ARPH, Aussie Rescue & Placement Helpline. I knew it
would be hard to have a dog for a time then have to turn them over to
someone else but it would be similar to training a horse only to give
them back to the owner. I had to think about the pleasure the new owner
would get from my kindness and training. I got several cute Aussies
that I helped to rehabilitate and then there was Teddy Bear. He was an
owner turn in to ARPH due to the fact that the husband was abusing the
wife and dog and she was going into a women’s shelter. Teddy was a
mess. They never took him for walks as he was dog aggressive, in the
car he got carsick and he was deathly afraid of men. This poor dog
would have terrible nightmares that made him jump up and lash out at
nothing. Little by little I won over his heart, was able to take him
for walks, car rides and even enrolled in competition obedience
classes. One and a half years later we entered obedience trials earning
his AKC & ASCA CDX with great scores. There was nothing Teddy
wouldn’t do for me as I saved him from a horrible situation. Sadly he
developed lymphoma and only lived to age six but his last years were
happy and he experienced so much joy.
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OJAI PACEY CASEY
CGC
STDs STDd HTADs RLF1
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One week after his passing Linda & I got a call to remove five
Aussies from a breeder in Ojai. That is where Pacey Casey came into my
life. Not really wanting another dog just yet as I was still very sad,
I knew this would be another turn around case. Ha, ha who was I
kidding? Casey also was un-socialized, afraid of men, abused and
neglected but what a gentle soul he turned out to be. That first day
this handsome black bi paced around his dog run, hence the name Pacey,
with a plastic water bottle in his mouth. This would either be an
obsession or a great toy drive behavior. We took him to Linda’s
grooming tub at her pet store and gave him a bath. He was scared but
allowed us to clean him up. Upon arriving in my home I have a basket
full of dog toys that he one by one moved to an area rug and laid down
with a big grin. To this day he is usually seen with something in his
mouth and loves to play fetch. It was about a month before someone said
they wanted to adopt him. I explained that owning a rescue dog is
different and great care should be taken to bond with them. I informed
them to keep him on leash in the house so that he was always nearby. A
few days later I got a call from the new owner that Casey wouldn’t come
out of the back of the one-acre yard. Being August and extremely hot
they were afraid he would over heat. I asked why he wasn’t on leash in
the house and this was their reply. “Well he’s going to be an outside
dog so he might as well get use to it now” I immediately went over,
called his name, he came bounding out of the back yard, grabbed a toy
and was so joyous to see me that I vowed to never give him away again.
Casey is an old soul, a joy to have around and like Autumn he never
does anything wrong. Although not obedience competition material he is
the most obedient dog around. I have however enrolled him in herding
lessons, which he really has a knack for and came in second in our very
first herding trial. |
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MOCKINGBIRD'S LIL
SCOUT
AKC/ASCA CD CDX UD RN RA RE CGC NA OA AX NAJ OAJ AXJ GS-N GS-O RS-N RS-O RS-E JS-N JS-O O-OJC JS-E NCC NAC OAC EAC NJC OJC OJC-OP EJC TN-N TN-O WV-N
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And then there
was Scout. Not long after getting Casey I got a call
from the animal control officer at the Camarillo Shelter saying there
was an eight-week-old Aussie puppy that was found roaming the streets
of Moorpark. I grabbed a friend and went down to see what this pup
looked like. Since Aussies come in many different sizes, shapes and
colors I wasn’t sure what we would find. There in the kennel was this
tiny black tri pup, which at the sight of any person would wiggle her
butt so fast. She was a keeper. I named her after my favorite book and
movie, “To Kill A Mockingbird”, Mockingbird’s Lil Scout and she is true
to her namesake. Scout has the best personality of any dog I have ever
been around. She loves people so much, still wiggles for any stranger
but especially for her best human friends. She is so smart, too smart
at times, can almost speak English but has a mischievous side to her
that I admire. I compete in agility, obedience and rally with her and
have excelled in all of them. Truly, I feel bad saying this but she is
my favorite dog. She is my best friend and we have
so much fun
together. |
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My love for animals extends beyond dogs, horses and cats. In 2000 I was
able to travel to east Africa to Kenya for a photo safari with a small
group of six people. It was amazing being out on the African plains
amongst lions, cheetahs, zebras, hippos, and the like. I took over 800
photos, stayed in 5 star hotels as well as tents on a camel safari and
up in a tree top hotel. Our guide was a man who changed the way wild
animals were trained for film using gentle persuasion. He lived in
Africa as well as in California so we were able to receive special
treatment when plans had to be changed due to ill weather. This was a
trip I will never forget and hope to return to Africa one day.
In 2005 I needed a new vocation and decided to take over the C & G
dog training equipment business from George Giswein and also become a
professional dog trainer. One of the clubs I am a member of, Valley
Hills Obedience Club in the San Fernando Valley, was in need of a
replacement trainer for their Tuesday night beginning pet obedience
class. I recruited another member, Walt Hanlon, to join me and we have
built up a great reputation for a fun informative class. I also started
teaching rally classes on two nights for VHOC with another member,
Sarah Sykes. Rally is a new AKC titling sport and so much fun to
perform and teach. In April of 2006 I decided to hold monthly rally and
obedience run thru matches at a local park. Each month more and more
people join in and it is a great success. I have expanded my classes to
Ventura, Calif. offering two rally and two attention & distraction
classes. The dog training equipment business is growing and growing and
I now have several people working for me. I am on the board for VHOC
along with The Australian Shepherd Club of Southern California as
Obedience Trial Chairperson. Have held these jobs since 1999 along with
numerous other duties and club positions. I am the club representative
for the S. Calif. Dog Obedience Council and a member of the APDT,
Association of Pet Dog Trainers. |
Like I said at the start I can’t imagine life without animals and
nature in general. My home is surrounded by wildlife of all kinds,
hawks, owls, raccoons, coyotes, skunks and opossums. I enjoy sitting
out on my patio observing the sights and sounds of nature. I find peace
amongst animals, watching the sunset or counting the stars in the sky.
Because of this respect of nature I feel I have a special gift and
relationships with them. I have a calmness that comforts animals and
they tent to gravitate towards my presence. Hopefully I will be able to
continue a career with these special creatures of nature.
It beats a 9 to
5 job any day. |
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