Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Kids are cool!

I got to go visit a school filled with all kinds of fun kids. The teacher explained where I came from so they could see how much happier I am with a better life and a loving home. I guess many of the kids probably have seen other dogs like me that aren't treated that good. I hope they remember how good of a dog I am, so they don't blame the dogs and think they're bad. I think I won them over though with my super-duper Hector charm! They were really fun to hang out with, too! They gave me all kinds of attention and pets, which is totally how it should be all the time. I hope I get to keep doing fun things like this all the time.
A bunch more of those camera things were following me around asking mom questions. She handled the people with the cameras really well, just like dad usually does. I made sure to help her out by being and extra special good boy, and since I was we got a bunch of stories told about us. I guess it even went out to something called the AP, so people from all over the country heard about my visit to the school. Here's what the nice people with cameras had to say.
Star Tribune article (you may have to scroll down)
I think that's most of the bigger articles. I hope the kids liked hanging out with me as much as I liked hanging out with them. I also hope that this will help them continue to be nice people when they grow up, and treat other doggies nicely like they treated me. Thanks for the fun day!
H

Monday, December 7, 2009

#1 Fans

There have been plenty of times where people tell me they are Wallace and/or Hector's biggest fan. Just thought I'd let people know that the four legged fans are starting to give you all a run for your money. At this year's National Pit Bull Awareness Day walk put on by the Brew City Bully Club, we were welcomed by some pretty cool sweatshirts to show their support.



Wallace with his #1 fan Chopper, and Dominick with his hero.

This was a great event for second annual walk in the Milwaukee area. Thanks for the good times!
Roo

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Wallace and the AWI World Championships


The disc dog competition over Labor Day weekend in Naperville, IL is never one to miss. This year they stepped it up to yet another level. Besides the always tough UFO Major on Saturday, Sunday was the one shot, winner take all AWI World Championships. Many discdoggers from the beginnings such as Ron Ellis, Mr. E, and Alex Stein (the owner of Ashley Whippet himself), along with many other greats of the sport were in attendance to tell stories from back in the day. Lori, the daughter of the co-founder of Wham-O (the company that invented the Frisbee) was even there to join in the festivities.

Heading into the weekend, Wallace and I were not clicking. I was trying to add some new stuff to our routine like I tend to do, but Wallace and I were not in sync. I began second guessing if Wallace and I still "had it." Wondering if I was doing something different to make things not work. Wondering if Wallace's previous injuries were catching up with him, and therefore wondering what I can realistically expect out of my canine teammate.

Saturday I entered us in freestyle only to take the field and feel things out for Sunday's AWI. That night, Josh Grenell gave me some advice that made everything come together. Sunday morning I was asked to kick things off by singing the National Anthem. I was honored and of course obliged, complete with Wallace laying at my side through the entire song. When it was our turn to take the field for round 1, it felt "right" again. We fell back in sync and were back to our old ways. That right there was worth the trip for me regardless of what the outcome would end up to be. With things clicking again, we rocked our first round and also had a good Toss and Catch round to put us in 3rd place going into the final freestyle round. Only a few tenths of a point separated 1st - 3rd, and with freestyle being our forte, we had first place in our sights.

2nd round I tend to lay it all out there, but unfortunately I am far from perfect. As a result, we sometimes fumble for not playing it safe. Unfortunately that was the case this time as I stumbled enough to lose sight of the AWI Championship and getting Wallace's name on the Lander Cup. However 2nd place in the biggest field of competitors we've competed against isn't too shabby for the broken down Pit Bull. If I had to do it all over again, I would do the same thing in a heart beat.
While the awards are nice, Wallace and I have always been out there to represent something more. We are out there to make a positive impact for a very misunderstood group of dogs. The minds that are changed as a result of watching us play are the true victories to me. Lori, who I mentioned before and who's father is responsible for the wide spread popularity of the Frisbee, told me afterwords that she was not sure about Pit Bulls and afraid of them. After watching us that weekend, her outlook was totally changed and was loving on Wallace that night outside the restaurant. How cool is that?! Another couple, unsure of Pit Bulls, was passing by and saw us during our Toss and Catch round. They followed us back to our tents to meet Wallace and asked to pet him! Gotta love it.... Wallace was definitely living up to his slogan that weekend - Changing Minds One Disc at a Time! And that is what it's all about!

Big congrats to all the competitors, especially Todd Murnan and Bella who took it home, and Danny Eggleston and Guinan in 3rd. It was an honor to be up on the podium with such great teams. Special thanks to Zeus and Co and Orijen Dog Foods for fueling my canine teammate! Also, thanks to Hero Disc USA, Total Performance, and The Good Dog Company for their support of the event. Big thanks to all the volunteers, judges and competitors for making the weekend such a memorable one. You all RAWK! Hopefully once things settle down a bit, I'll get my highlight video put together so you can see some Wallace action from that weekend.
Roo

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Hector at the Beach.

 

Hector taking some time to inspect the beach scene in Lake City, MN.
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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Riverfest and the Extreme Canines Stunt Dog Show!


This is a really late post, but good things come to those who wait, right? This past summer fellow disc doggers Chris Perondi and Abby Cline were putting on a great show with their very talented Extreme Canine Stunt Dog crew down in LaCrosse, WI for the Riverfest celebration. It's about an hour from where we live, so we took some time to go down and visit as well as join in the fun! Wallace and I were able to help open the show with some freestyle disc action to show the big crowds present a positive image of a Pit Bull. Chris helped out by pumping the breed while we were showing off as well! We had a great time performing and hanging out with friends down by the Mississippi River. Thanks to Chris Perondi and the Extreme Canines for inviting us down to throw some plastic. For more Extreme Canine action check out http://www.stuntdog.com/ Here's a video clip of Wallace and I opening the show. Photo by Chris Perondi. Video by Joshua Grenell.



Sunday, August 30, 2009

Roo and Hector-Out for a walk

 

Roo and Hector out for a walk at Quarry Hill Nature Center.
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Saturday, August 22, 2009

More Dogs, Less Vick


Vick is getting a lot of press lately with his PR team working hard for him. It would be nice if he would be selfless enough to have his PR team work to get exposure for the dogs he abused as well, instead of just him. That's probably too much to expect at this point though. Regardless, we got some press on our own. Julia Lane, a writer and fellow discdogger, graciously referred the blog post request from The Bark Magazine to me to get my perspective instead of doing it herself. Thanks Julia for the opportunity. Click Here to check it out.

Also, a Duluth news team came down to do a piece on Hector to air Friday. The reporter was in love with Hector and even bought him a big biscuit for his hard work for the camera. Click Here to the video and news story.


Thanks to The Bark and Fox 21 for the pieces. As always, comments to let the reporters and organizations know you like coverage always help to get more in the future.

Hey Vick, how about an interview for Hector on 60 minutes?

Roo

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Practice For the AWI

 


Roo and Wallace work on some new stuff for the AWI Championship.
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Thursday, August 13, 2009

Cool cool water.

 


Wallace gets a drink after a short practice session for the AWI World Finals in Chicago. The AWI Championship is on Sunday September 6th.
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Thursday, July 30, 2009

Vick reinstated......hmmmmm.........

I've met Vick......Not impressed.
The End.
Hey M-Guy, let's go for a walk.
- H

Monday, July 20, 2009

Wallace and Friends Visit Ohio

You've waited long enough. I finally got some video edited and some pictures downloaded. First the pictures, then the video. And yes, I know there is a Border Collie in there. That's Brian's BC Rocket. He took a lot of these pictures and kept me company on the trip, so I figured it only fair to include him in the slideshow. Photos courtesy of Marshall Smith, Brian Bruzek and Rocco Stellatano. Go Pit Bulls!





Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Wallace Qualifies for USDDN Nationals!



This weekend was a blast. Lots of drving, but well worth it. Brian, a fellow MN Discdogger, and his border collie Rocket joined me for the trip to Milford, OH. All of us bully folk know that Ohio has not been the best place to be if you're a Pit Bull, but fortunately state BSL was overturned a little while back. That's why it felt so cool to roll into Ohio and compete just outside of Cincinnati, which unfortunately still is not a good place to be if you're a Pit. The best part is that Wallace was not the only Pit Bull representing at the competition. The Bullies rocked the place and Wallace took 1st Place in Super Open Freestyle, qualifying for the USDDN National Finals. Wallace also qualified in Super Pro Toss and Catch, and won the Overall Weekend Award and a year's supply of Total Performance Dog Food. Thanks to the Southern Ohio Flying K9's for an amazing weekend of great times!

With the accomplishments from the weekend, Wallace has throughout his career qualified in every organization that holds qualifying events for a larger final event. This includes - AWI World Championships, UFO World Finals, Purina Incredible Dog Challenge National Finals, Skyhoundz World Finals (Pairs Freestyle; Individual Freestyle; and Distance/Accuracy), and now the USDDN National Finals (Freestyle; and Toss and Catch). Wallace Rocks!

I'm in the middle of editing video and waiting for some pictures to post, so stay tuned for pics and vid of Wallace and his friends Thelma and Belle at the Ohio Cup!

Roo

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Roo and Wallace win USDDN Qualifier "Ohio Cup"

First place in the Super-Open Freestyle event!

More from Roo later.

jg

Saturday, July 4, 2009

K9 Karnival and "Pit Bull Pomeranians"


M-Gal took me to the Rochesterfest K9 Karnival last weekend. I had sooooooo much fun, and was my typical charming self of course. They had Daschund races, but I was much more content sitting at the Chesney's Choices homemade treat booth demonstrating how yummy her treats are. I also made sure the booth always looked spotless by cleaning up all the crumbs left by the other dogs that were messier eaters. I'm such a good little worker dog. I guess the word is getting out about me cuz people heard and knew that I was there before I even met them.

In between my duties at the treat table, M-Gal let me make the rounds to meet new people and make some new doggie friends. There were 2 little foofy pomeranians that we came across. Their person said that the one might snark at me, but I'm the Hector Man! All the ladies love me! Well......all but this little pomeranian I guess. I just couldn't get her to like me. What's the deal with that?!? She kept trying to tell me off, but I just stood there wondering what the big deal was, and what it was in this perfect package that she was finding fault in. Their person said that they were Pit Bulls in little fluffy bodies. M-Gal said - "Well my dog IS a Pit Bull, and he's not acting like that." Ha Ha....good one M-Gal!

H

Friday, June 26, 2009

Wallace Documentary: Behind the Scenes.



The staff at Animal Ark gives Wallace some loving.
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