I cannot believe another year has come and gone. 2016 was a banner year. So much occurred. Some was planned, some just happened and other things were a total surprise.
I end many of my posts with “I LOVE MY JOB!”, reason being…I really do. The work I do, the people and dogs I meet, the groups I encounter make me smile. When one gets to do something they are passionate about, when one gets to do their calling, beautiful things happen. I am fortunate enough to see beautiful things every day. I see the care and compassion owners give their dogs and the love the owners get in return. I get to be a part of beautiful stories over and over again watching dogs become the dogs they are meant to be. 2016 brought so much of this…
So , here is 2016 in review.
2016 was a huge year for the Ken Reid Newfoundland’s Dog Whisperer Dog Training Program. When I started the program in October of 2015 my plan was to teach two classes a week. I felt this was a very realistic goal. I was blown out of the water when the slots filled the first day of registration. That set the tone for the year.
Course registration continued to sell out. New time slots opened and new courses were added. At the end of October 2016, a year from when we started the program, we graduated 334 people. Our graduations had a 90 percent plus completion rate. The obedience classes have waitists and the My Dog is Awesome Course was a huge success and continues to fill up with every offering.
The work that has come out of the of the classes has been phenomenal. So many beautiful stories and so much success. If a film crew were to follow some of it, they would have a sure fire hit on their hands.
We now have students who have completed courses back to back and have graduated all four courses. To all graduates of the courses, I am proud of you. Thank you for your continued support over the year. It has been a pleasure watching you and your dogs grow, an honour being a part of your lives.
Speaking of the program, I would not be able to do the work I do without the help of the training team including the staff of A Dog’s World. I have watched every member of the team develop, grow in confidence and step up to the plate. A couple of them even have plans to write their dog training exams in 2017. I could not be more proud. They even started a group called Evening Training Walks. It is only open to current and past students of the training program and has morphed into something very special. They meet often throughout the week and conduct both training and socialization walks. As a result, a student of mine could technically socialize their dog every day, even multiple times a day between the evening training walks, the weekend group dog walks, the classes and doggy daycare.
There are many reasons I say I have the most comprehensive dog training program in the province. This is just one of those reasons.
For the Love of Dogs has continued to grow. The support the group offers it’s members, the education shared, the goodwill expressed, the help mobilized for causes…it is all so impressive. The walks have continued. The group has made appearances at a number of special events. It has reached 8548 members as of the writing of this blog and continues to climb. While this number is not HUGE it is impressive considering the admins only accept requests of people from this province, who have done one on ones with me or have a tie to the group. We screen out random people and most who are in the group have an actual reason for being there. There are not too many in the dog world in this province who do not know about our group. Thank you guys for being great ambassadors.
In October I decided to bring the poop bag out of retirement after a year of it being gone. It’s retirement left a bad taste in my mouth. Fact is, the money the group raised over the years was appreciated by the groups it was given to. I decided a year after it’s retirement, I would reinstitute it. The poop bag met with a lot of support. We have since donated a number of times to Forever Young and the St. John’s SPCA as well as a couple of other causes and we will be making our first official donation early in the new year.
Just because the poop bag retired did not mean the group stopped its charity work. We were more than determined than ever to find other ways of helping out. We participated in food drives, charity events, and conducted dog safety presentations to community groups. I am proud to report that the group stepped up to the plate in that regard and was very very active in 2016.
Just a couple of the highlights from some of the major walks and events in 2016
The Pet Expo
The Pride Parade
Neveah’s Lemonade Stand
Furever Young’s Chase the Ace
Forever Young’s Monthly Walk
The SPCA Walk in the Park as well as a number of other walks
The Canadian Cancer Society’s Walk
The Downtown Santa Claus Parade
These were just a couple of events the group played a huge role in this year.
On the topic of dog presentations, I am happy to report that myself and the assistant trainers conducted over 30 dog safety presentations this year. The presentations were given to schools, brownies, sparkes and girl guide groups and in daycares. They were a lot of fun to do for both us and the dogs. I waived any fees in doing these presentations and instead requested that, if the group wished, they could donate to a local rescue instead. One of my proudest moments happened as I was walking my dogs one day and I came across a bunch of kids whom I had spoken to in previous months. They recognized me, proceeded to approach and used the skills we discussed during the presentation in order to interact with my dogs. A couple of moms said that they received a lecture from the kids on dos and donts after the presentation. It was amazing to watch.
In 2016 I had the privilege of attending the CBS Vet Clinic’s Open House. They gave me a room to set up in. Myself and a number of the training team were a part of their tour, met a bunch of their clients and received the opportunity to talk to them about doggy issues, education and classes.
2016 was a year that saw a bunch of media appearances as well. Pitbulls hit the media again both in the province and abroad. I was asked to do the media circuit. I appeared on Open Line, Backtalk, CBC Radio and gave regular interviews. It was intense, interesting and informative. People are amazing. They never cease to astonish me with both their willingness to right a wrong and, on the other hand, their ability to totally ignore science if science disagrees with their preconceived notions. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the pit bull debate. I created a section on my site devotes to “Everything Pitbull”…it went viral. I had people writing me from all over the world and even had a couple of high profile people share the articles.
The group was involved in a NTV story discussing dog’s roles in our lives. Jodi Cooke asked me to appear on her “In Studio” segment for NTV. The Newfoundland Herald asked me to become a semi regular contributor and has published a number of articles. It meant a busy time but I was honoured to be asked to share my knowledge.
This summer we had the honour of participating in Neveah’s Lemonade Stand. It was an amazing experience and we had the guest of honour herself hang out at our table. Neveah loves dogs and she made a lot of friends that day among the four legged members of our group. That little girl is a phenom. It was a total pleasure having her at my booth.
This Fall we participated in Ches Penny’s YMCA first annual doggy pool dip. This was a different event. We saw over 150 dogs participate in it and so much fun was had. I am looking forward to participating in the even again next year.
This summer I was inducted into the Order of St. John for my work with the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog program. It was a large ceremony and a huge honour to be given and one that I am quite proud of.
Speaking to Therapy Dog….we conducted a number of testings in St. John’s throughout the year including a children’s testing. We even conducted a testing in Gander. It was a fairly busy year in that regard. I do not know the final numbers tested but it was a good year. Many members of the group participate in the program whether it be as therapy dog handler teams, assistant evaluators, unit coordinators or evaluators. It is am amazing program and one I encourage everybody to take part if they are interested and feel their dog would enjoy.
The St. John’s SPCA is an organization I am proud to be affiliated with. So proud, I sit on their Board of Directors. 2016 not only meant group dog walks supporting the SPCA, it also meant dozens of evaluations, some presentations and appearances, and more involvement from the group and the training team. I am delighted with the partnerships that are forming there and look forward to seeing even deeper ones in 2017
As 2016 draws to a close and 2017 begins, a whole realm of possibilities opens. I hope to grow the courses and services I offer allowing my clients a chance to further their education and training opportunities. I have already hinted at a couple of things I have in the works. Stay tuned. I will be releasing more details as they unfold. 2017 is shaping up to be a fantastic year.
So from me and mine to you and yours, have a wonderful, safe and happy new year’s eve. Thank you all so much for the support and continued patronage. It means the world to me.
I hope to see you all in 2017
