I am so proud and excited to announce that one of my grand-puppies has been nominated for the 2009 AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE).
We all call her Miss Lillie and she is owned/loved/trained by Joanne Huntley. Her full name is Nat/Int CH, U-CH Sterling's Gorgeous Hussy CD, WC, JH, RE, NJP, NAP, CGC, U-CD, U-SH, U-AJI, FBCH-s, AAA/AAT, TDI & Herding Instinct Certified.
Her breeder is Madilyn Parker of Oregon. She is out of her specialty winning girl CH Sterling's Brown Bomber JH and my Int (FCI), Am & Mex CH JanRod's Grizzly Bear CGC, TD.
Miss Lillie obtained a perfect score at the highest level of Delta Society Partners testing which lead to visits with the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Portland, Oregon where they work with a mental health therapist.
The team also visits nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, pre-schools and grade schools for dog safety programs, local libraries as part of the Bonny Hays read to a dog program and work at information booths at local fairs and health fairs.
Miss Lillie has also worked as a certified Hope Crisis Response Dog team where they work with the Washington County Sheriffs Department Chaplains office as a Certified Animal-Assisted Crisis Response Team responding to secondary crisis situations.
In their "free time" Miss Lillie and Joanne take early morning walks wearing costumes to match the season in the local malls to encourage seniors to get out and exercise.
I am so proud of the two of them. Not only for the contribution they make to their community, but also for the wonderful image they present for our breed.
My fingers are crossed for them to win the ACE award and appear at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in Dec.
