KEYSTONE CANINE CLUB
K9er Activity Group
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The K-9ers: An Asset to Keystone by Angela Carducci It's probably safe to assume that a doggie wedding had never been a front-page feature in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette before. That's exactly what happened, however, on July 27, 2006 in the P-G South Edition, and this invaluable publicity is just one of many reasons Keystone has to be proud of its K-9ers. The K-9ers have been an integral part of Keystone's Community Affairs efforts for the past four years. They've performed many of their demonstrations at nursing homes and assisted living facilities, but have also visited a wide variety of venues including schools, churches, and events for Relay for Life, Animal Friends and Genesis Adoption. They've even provided the entertainment at one child's birthday party. The K-9ers were founded by Carol Culp, who also created their signature routines Peace on Earth, This Land and What Part of Know (now called Boot Scootin' Boogie). When Carol retired two years ago, Caroline Chapman volunteered to take the lead. All members of the group participate in creating their formats, and Caroline serves as the liaison between the K-9ers and any facility that requests a visit. All of these requests come from positive word of mouth; the K-9ers have never advertised one of their demonstrations. "Our mission is to share the love we have for our dogs with others, in the form of entertainment and pet therapy socialization with residents of the nursing facilities that we visit," said Caroline. Current members of the group include: Caroline with Peaches, a Collie/Beagle/Basset Hound mix; Arden Reihing with Buck, a Bernese Mountain Dog; Phyllis Bandi with Tiffany, a Yorkie; Tom Bandi with Ginger, a Yellow Lab; Barb Pohodich with Sadie, a Maltese; Emil Pohodich with Lexi, a Toy Poodle; Janet Malinsky with Lindsey, a Toy Manchester Terrier; Sally Tress with Cherry, an Irish Setter; Phil Chapman with Lovey, a Cock-a-Poo; Sandy Chapman with Nina, a Chinese Crested Powder Puff; and Lucy McCloskey with Toby, a Sheltie. New to the group are Betty Jean Maier with Heidi, a Golden Retriever; and Clara Schmalz with Josh, a Westie. As for those doggie weddings, they came about as the result of a request from the Baptist Home in Castle Shannon more than a year ago. The Activities Director had heard of doggie weddings and contacted Caroline to ask if the K-9ers could put one together. The group was up to the challenge, and the rest is history. Word of mouth about the weddings reached Post-Gazette pet writer Linda Wilson Fuoco, who attended a demo at Vanadium Woods Retirement Village in Scott Township to watch the "ceremony," interview the K-9ers and write the feature piece for the P-G South. The article included a large color photo of Caroline, Arden, and respective "bride" and "groom" Peaches and Buck, as well as additional photos of Caroline putting on Peaches' veil and Barb and Sadie visiting the residents. The doggie weddings may be the K-9ers' most popular demonstration, but it's far from their only offering. A patriotic demo runs a close second in popularity, and the group consistently uses its talents and imagination to create new demonstrations appropriate to the season, such as Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day. They've also done Steelers and circus themes. As you might imagine, the performances have produced their share of memorable moments. "At one demo, a gentleman was wearing a red hat and blue gloves, which is unusual because the facilities are kept very warm for the residents," said Caroline, recalling one of her favorite memories. "Peaches and I started to do our routine, and Peaches zeroed in on him and wouldn't move. I asked the gentleman to please remove his hat, which he did. Peaches still wouldn't move, so I asked him to remove his gloves. He did and laughed, and Peaches proceeded to dance for everyone." Not every demo goes flawlessly, of course, but even the mistakes are part of the fun. "After each demo, the K-9ers laugh at ourselves and all the mistakes we made, and try to improve on what we have to offer," Caroline said, adding that the dogs often seem to know what they're doing even when their owners do not. "I'll stand there and smile because I goofed, and (Peaches) knows it, and she just goes on! Oh, she humbles me," said Caroline. In addition to the publicity in the Post-Gazette, the K-9ers can also be seen strutting their stuff on Bethel Park Television. BPTV has recently taped two demos for broadcast on Susie Roberti's show, Tail Waggers. A doggie wedding, filmed at Ridgepointe Assisted Living in Baldwin Boro, is now playing, and a Halloween demo taped at Overlook Green in Whitehall will be running soon. The K-9ers earn donations for Keystone at each performance, and amounts have ranged anywhere from $10 all the way up to $200. They've also brought new clients to the club, such as the family who requested a demo for their daughter's birthday party. A short while after the party, the 8-year-old birthday girl and her mother enrolled in a Keystone obedience class with their new Yorkie pup. Caroline said the K-9ers are always looking for new members, and stressed that prospective new members have no reason to be intimidated. "All are welcome, as long as they can stand us," she said with a laugh. "Sometimes we get a little goofy!" The K-9ers are clearly having a great time as they strengthen the bond with their dogs and provide a valuable community service, all while promoting Keystone. "My reward is, I get to show off my dancing dog," said Caroline. "And we leave the demos feeling all warm, because we feel so loved." |
KEYSTONE CANINE CLUB
2942 Industrial Boulevard
Bethel Park, PA 15102-2536
412-833-2211
www.keystonecanine.com
