Monthly Archives: November 2009

Okay – maybe I need to talk with these ladies about why they have such similar names but they are different. First of all A Family Dog is located in Bonners Ferry and you get to go through a beautiful Wildlife Refuge to get there. Karen runs A Family Dog and has a small kennel mostly for her clients while they are out of town. You may find it hard to get a spot for your dog unless you call early! I actually got to meet Karen way back when I was in high school when Karen was doing some training with the trainer that I worked for, Becky Bishop of Puppy Manners.
Karen is an awesome trainer that uses clicker training. I have had the chance to volunteer with her and help in her Pawsitive Works classes which are very different from an obedience class. (more…)

Okay – I think we’ve all seen her bright yellow signs at the Pet Store, Pan Handle Animal Shelter etc. She also just put out a nice business card with a website on it that seems to be down whenever I try to look at it. Karen Horton does obedience training, grooming, and sells Petlane Products. Has anyone ever worked with her? I would love to learn more about this elusive dog lady…

Glenna is the dog trainer/guru at Ponderay Pet Lodge with her own business: The Family Dog. Any one who has met her knows that she has had a lot of experience with dogs and has a knack for knowing where to draw the line and knowing what to do once you’ve decided where the line needs to be. She has a more traditional approach to training and has helped many families with their problem dogs, and even one family with a service dog. (more…)

It seems to me like Sue has a proper understanding of how dogs fit in our world as pets and not us in their world. This is essential because these dogs need homes with real people. For the sake of the dogs she wants good dog/owner matches to be made, not to unleash dangerous dogs to the unsuspecting public.
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I’ve been faithfully taking my ‘snarkileptic’ border collie female to the dog park for about a year around 4 times a week. It wasn’t until this seminar I really looked at my dog and thought “is this good for her? Does Ellie need to go to the dog park? Is her behavior improving because we go to the dog park?” My honest answers are all ‘no.’
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“What makes a good breeder?” This is a question Sue Sternberg asked us all at the conference. We thought a breeder that only bred dogs with good temperaments and health, and a person that would always take their dogs back if the original owner could no longer care for it was a good breeder. Then we were asked why breeders typically only breed dogs from the same breed? And the answer is this: their first goal is looks. If it wasn’t then we would be breeding only exceptional dogs regardless of their breed. What does this lady have against pure breeds you ask? What is wrong with breeding healthy dogs with good temperaments to the other 3% of the breed that is healthy and has good temperaments? Its called inbreeding, no matter what we do to get the best of a breed we will always be getting closer and closer to developing dogs with major problems because of inbreeding. Sue is one of the only people I’ve had experience with that can really see a dog for what it is. I have a hard time looking at a border collie in a shelter, and beautiful golden retrievers for that matter. She challenged us with breeding two dogs with different genetic backgrounds for temperament, so we can have social dogs that have high thresholds and are unlikely to bite children. She also made a point to remind us of WWII and what the idea of a pure race can do.

There are a lot of people that think this lady is an impressive shelter dog advocate. Others think she is ‘bad’ because she promotes euthanasia (the ‘enemy’) for dogs that are dangerous. She has been working with dogs in the shelter setting for decades and has multiple rescues in her own home. In my mind she has dedicated her life to watching dogs and really understanding when they are dangerous in order to save as many dogs with good temperaments as possible. When a dog is truly dangerous there are only two safe options: let it live in a kennel setting or euthanasia.
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When I first heard Sue Sternberg say that this conference would change our lives I doubted it. Well, maybe it could change someone else’s life, but mine? After hearing tons of Christian speakers say the same thing I’ve come to hear that saying with critical ears. But, Sue Sternberg was right.
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Shelters, rescues, pounds, humane societies… Just like the animals they care for no two are alike. Up here in North Idaho we have a few shelters to pick from, most of which seem to be overflowing with animals they they are doing their best to care for.
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I used to live in Woodinville (northeast of Seattle) and was lucky enough to have a job working for Becky Bishop – great dog trainer, dedicated and motivated to help people enjoy their dogs and be active with them. She headed up this great program called Reading With Rover where people take their Delta certified Animal Assisted Therapy dog to places like Borders Books and Music to have children practice reading to their dog.

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I still have yet to do this trail but wanted to post the info for others. Please leave comments and let others know about your experience. This trail is great for horses / pack animals too.

This 5.5 mile trail leads you to the lakes!
Directions: Take Road 633 west of Bonners Ferry through the Myrtle Creek Drainage. The trail head is in upper Myrtle Creek.
I also found some info for you GPSers: lat 48.7066, lon -116.6441 and the altitude is 5902 feet (1799 meters).

I’m hoping to do this trail next summer with my family as a 4-5 day backpacking trip. From what I hear it is a beautiful trail that includes old growth forests and views of Long and Parker Canyons. According to bonnersferry.info be prepared to see grizzlies and caribou! The full loop it is 32 miles long.
Directions: Take US 95 north from Bonners Ferry and turn west on County Road 18 to where you can park at the Westside Road trailhead.

This is a nice trail, only 3.3 miles long. You can also use this trail to get to Trail 102 that goes to Hidden Lake!
Directions: Go 15 miles north of Bonners Ferry on US 95 to Copeland Road, go west on Copeland Road, turn right on Road 417, continue north to the junction and take Road 281 to Road 2446, go one mile and park at the trail head!

Here is a summation of what others say about it: scenic views of the Green Monarchs and Lake Pend Oreille from this 2.1 mile single track bike or hiking trail. Take Highway 95 south from Sandpoint 6 miles to Sagle Road, turn left and go 6 miles to the Garfield Bay turn-off on the right, drive 2 miles to Garfield Bay. You can park here if you want a long walk or continue on Green Bay Cutoff Road going north about .4 miles to Road 532 then right about 2 miles to the trail head.

Check out the US FS page on Mineral Point.

The spectacular cascading falls are a must see. Go 6 miles east on Highway 200 from Sandpoint, then left onto Colburn-Culver Road. Go 6 miles to Grouse Creek Cut-Off Road on the right, then about two miles to join Grouse Creek or Forest Service Road 280. Go right and continue approximately 4 miles staying on Road 280 and watch for a small open meadow on the left. Just beyond the meadow on the right is an unmarked road going down a hill to the trail head #83.

There are miles of trails for all levels of riders and hikers. Friday through Sunday during the summer you can take your bike up on the Great Escape Quad Lift and ride down an advanced 3.5 mile bike trail. Free maps are available at Schweitzer. Highway 95 to Schweitzer Cut-off Road, right onto Boyer, left at Schweitzer Mountain Road for nine miles to the ski area.

It is a beautiful and relatively easy bike or hike on the bike path that ends in Sagle, 6 miles south of Sandpoint. A popular walk begins at the north end of the Long Bridge and over the Long Bridge and back. You can access another path along Highway 2 and ride all the way to Dover.

Trout Creek is a great area to take your dog to all times of the year if you like to hike, snow shoe, cross country ski, or even ice skate. Minutes off of highway 200, just east of the Idaho Club, this area offers great low impact trails.

This is a beautiful trail that I frequent in the summer since my dog loves to cool off in the lake.

You can start this in Sandpoint (just go past Seasons to the end of the road) or Kootenai (where Birch Street ends go down to the water). This trail will hopefully become an official ‘trail’ but isn’t quite yet. Make sure your dog is safe around bikes and not to forget your plastic bags!
There is a website dedicated to this trail here.

From Schwietzer Cutoff Road take N. Boyer south, go west on Woodland and follow it across the tracks. The trail head will be on the west side of the road. This trail isn’t for the meek and doesn’t offer any water except at the trail head so be sure to bring your own! For those of you unfamiliar with Bonner County you wont want to forget your leash. This trail is maintained by volunteers.

Check out the US FS page on Mickinick Trail (#13).