Mutt Strutt, Here We Come

Duncan and I are going to be doing freestyle demos at the Mutt Strutt on Saturday, September 6. Three other dog/handler teams will also perform, and we’re even going to do a group routine. The Mutt Strutt will be at Oak View Park, and is a dog walk to raise money for the Wake County Animal Center. The event is from 9 to 12. At this point, I don’t know exactly when we’re scheduled to perform, but the last thing I heard was between 10 and 10:30. I’ll post a definite time when I get it. My cropping buddy has agreed to come out and take photos of the routines (thanks, Mary!), and John said he’ll give up moving dirt around on the farm for a bit to come out and work the video camera (thanks, John!). There will also be agility and flyball demos, tons of raffles (not just for dog stuff), and a lot of vendors and exhibits. So round up your folks and come on out to support WCAC, and, more importantly, me and Duncan. If you just can’t make it, you’ll still be able to watch the freestyle fun, because I’ll have the video on YouTube and this blog sometime that Saturday (well, maybe Sunday, because I’m going to the Brooks and Dunn concert Saturday night).

Duncan and I will be dancing to “Its In His Kiss” and the team routine is to “Puttin’ On The Ritz.” Two teams and a stand-in got together last night, and we actually managed to choreograph the entire team routine in under an hour. I was pretty impressed with us. The smart thing is that we’re keeping it short (about a minute and a half) and fairly simple. After all, most people will be really impressed that we’re actually out there doing anything at all. It always boggles my mind when someone (especially a dog owner) gets excited about a basic “wait” or a “shake.” But I guess those folks just don’t take the time to work with their dogs. The hard part about the team routine is that the dogs range in size from Duncan (he’s a bit big, you know) to a Westie. And in between is a medium-sized All American (mutt) and a Sheltie (NOT a miniature Collie). We’re still working out a few of the details, like how long we want certain distances to be, because some folks have to walk pretty fast to get to their next spot, while others of us have to slow down so we don’t run anyone over. And I think we’ve found some creative ways to work to each dog’s strengths and reduce any obvious discrepancies. Not that the demo will actually go the way we plan, because they never do. But that’s part of the fun of freestyle!