Dhameer
I met Spirit in June 2018. I decided on a Rhodesian Ridgeback as I had another Ridgie (Bruno) before and had some of the best moments of my life with him. Unfortunately, at two years of age Bruno became very ill and within a period of a week, I had lost my best friend. I did not want another dog after that as it was difficult to accept the circumstances of his passing however I also have a German Shepherd (Skyla) who became very lonely so after a while, we decided to get a companion and so little Spirit entered our lives.
I got Spirit at 8 weeks of age. I also started looking around for renowned training facilities. After a lot of research, I decided to mail SADTC to see if we could join. I visited on a Saturday and Christine showed me around. I was amazed to see the number of instructors and dogs working. I had been to another training facility with Bruno when he was a puppy but it was nothing compared to what I’ve since experienced.
In the first practical class with Chris, all the handlers were asked why we were here. I remember answering that I just wanted to have a strong bond with my dog and to give Spirit the best I can. This still holds true today. I would like him to be the best that he can be and most importantly be a healthy dog. Training has proven to be a lot of fun and Spirit has also gladly provided me with a lot of sore muscles the next day! He is an extremely outgoing dog with tons of energy and although I am the exact opposite I am truly blessed to have him around. There have been many challenges but hard work and awesome help from all of his instructors has made things so much easier.
As time has passed I have come to realize that Spirit is the dog that I needed. You see I thought having a dog in training from an early age would make it easy and in a few months I’d have a super obedient dog. Wow, I was wrong. All of the hurdles have allowed me to try and conquer challenges and this, in turn, has kept me away from all the negativity that we all face in our lives. The lessons learned are not just for training too, it helps in other facets of life as well.
To explain how much Spirit looks forward to Saturday mornings, when we leave home to come to SADTC, he impatiently jumps into the back seat of the car but when it’s time to go back home, I have to carry this dog in the car.
At home Spirit mostly spends time lying upside down in the sunny areas of the house. We have to keep an eye on him after he eats in the afternoon as his energy levels are higher and he has a nose that directs him to do disastrous things. He just wonders around the house knocking things over with his nose. It’s a creature on its own I guess. He enjoys playing with his toys and standing on the balcony.
He gets a lot of compliments regarding his build and colour. Apparently, he is wheaten in colour although to a colour blind person(me) he looks very green. He will be entered into the Rhodesian Ridgeback annual show soon and will get to see a lot of his fellow Ridgies which is very exciting as it will also allow me to see character traits of the breed at different ages.
The worst part of my day is at 5 AM when I say goodbye to Skyla and Spirit. We go to the park in the late afternoons to train so that there are more distractions to work with.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at SADTC for allowing for such a great environment and fulfilling experience. It is truly humbling to see the relationships people have with their dogs.
Hi Biata
One of the first few words Alexia spoke (apart from Mamma, Dadda and the usual) was “hondjie” and so the begging and pleading started to get a puppy…
To make a very long story short, a friend of mine took in a rescue schnauzer and over a cup of coffee I fell head over heels in love with this awkward looking, bearded lady called Lily. I have never even seen a schnauzer, new nothing of the breed but the personality I glimpsed that fateful afternoon sent me into a flurry of research. The more I learnt the more I was convinced that this is the dog I’ve been looking for and about a year later when Alexia turned 7 I brought Elliot home.
Once the initial euphoria wore off and reality set in, I was like a new mother worrying about food, toys, potty (house) training, shots and off course education 🙂
In December 2017 we were devastated when we sadly lost our much-loved male Boerboel, Blade, to Spirocerca Lupi. His absence left a big gap in our lives and after dropping many hints with my husband about getting a smaller breed puppy, such as a PUG, he surprised me one day by bringing home what I now realise has become my new furry BFF. 1 year, 50kgs of growth, buckets full of slobber, 4 pairs of shoes and plenty of torn washing later, I can’t imagine my life without him. 
As a kid, I did a bit of dog training with my Dad and our Bullterriers, and I remember how it used put me on a natural high. I live pretty close to Walkerville, and have often driven past the SADTC grounds and looked in longing for the opportunity to train a dog from puppyhood. My own kids have finished school and recently started working/studying, so in an attempt to side-step any feelings of empty-nest syndrome, as soon as Zeus had his final puppy inoculation, I knew exactly where I would be able to spend my time and reignite my love of dog training. 
Looking back, I realise that these early puppy classes which included socialisation, moulded his amazing nature with kids and other dogs. The proof of which is his Canine Good Citizen award in November. 
Our journey with Colin has been filled with tears, laughs, frustration, games, but mostly lots and lots of love. We decided to get Colin for protection reasons as my dad, Warren, travels often for business. We had never really had a big dog before and had no idea what we were actually getting ourselves into. Those of you who know Colin, will know that, although he is super cute, he can also be quite the handful.
After about 2 weeks of having Colin, 3 T.V remotes, a pair of Nike running shoes, sunglasses, a handbag strap and the dustbin lid, we knew that we had to get him into training, and FAST! My dad being who he is, and an extensive researcher, was determined to find the best training school for Colin. We wanted a training school that first and foremost, loved animals and focused on cruelty-free methods, as well as offered both Obedience and Protection work. And we found so much more than that at SADTC! 
Since then, Colin has come a long way. He even won his Obedience competition!! (This was a huge surprise victory in our house – my dad even wanted to replace Colin’s certificate with my graduation photo…) He has started to settle down at training and has become quite popular, especially in his agility class. We are even able to take him to the park and let him run off leash without worrying about pandemonium breaking out. 
We are so proud of Colin, and so thankful for SADTC and all of Colin’s instructors for all their help, support and guidance. 
What a humbling yet exciting privilege it is for Lucy to be nominated as dog of the month. Our story is a journey of dedication, perseverance and overcoming individual obstacles, fears and difficulties. Our story starts at chapter 1 as usual but with a twist. My dad was invited to take a puppy from a litter of x border collie pups. Mom a working dog on a plot nearby. We were told that they are getting rid of the pups, one way or the other (if you know what I mean) So Dad decided to get the little red one. We were told that she is 8 weeks old. But from pics included and education I now know she was taken at a very young age. She didn’t get any imprinting a young pup needs. But little did we know these things. We took her home and that is how the journey starts with my Dad as her owner.
We could actually sit between people in the clubhouse provided the dogs do not make direct eye contact. Wow! We then did some socialization with some of the placid dogs at school. We waited till every one went home and under the watchful eye of Chris. We let the dogs out. I think I was more nervous than anything else. But it worked. 
I am tremendously proud of my little girl Lucy. Changing my life for the better. I would always be grateful for your sloppy kisses and your hair al over my clothes and bed. With all the challenges we have to face I could not imagine it without you my little therapist. Listening to me when I’m sad and bringing the ball so we can go and play and forget about life for a while. We achieved so much together. 
Volde, short for Voldemort, came through for a private lesson.
This beautiful girl is Matilda. She came through for a private lesson as her owner recently took a tumble while out walking her and then got a bit nervous to take her out on a walk again, and had someone else walking her instead. 
This handsome fellow came to us this week for a private lesson. He had been trained at another club but they weren’t sure what to do about his ‘aggression’ issues. 
This man, Jerry Selwane, is very special to SADTC. He came out one night about 7 years ago to help with a dog that been hit by a car. 
