Cali's Page
Lisa and I adopted Cali in June of 2003. We had
recently lost our ACD Maggie to canine lymphoma. We had been doing
several months of chemotherapy with Maggie and after she passed away we
had tons of leftover medication. We had absolutely fallen in love
with the cattle dog breed and we found Mid-Florida ACD Rescue on the Internet. We
drove down from St. Pete to see Heida and donated the meds to any of the
rescue dogs that might need them. There we met Forbes and Potter at the
vets office and it was not long before we found Cali on the site. It only took
one visit to see Cali in her foster home (she was then named Darlin) and both
Lisa and I knew that we had found the right dog for us.
Cali quickly adapted to her new home and family and before long her unique
personality was really coming out. I am a tennis professional and
am able to take Cali to work with me every day. She initially had no interest in fetching
or playing with a ball. That, however, did not last long. She is now
obsessed with tennis balls and will fetch all day long. She loves the water and her
favorite spot is the Ft. Desoto Paw Playground. It is one of the many new
dog parks in St. Pete and we think it is by far the best one. There are two
big fenced in areas, one for small dogs, one for large dogs, and the best feature
is a large beach where the dogs can swim and play off leash.
Cali has learned all of the basic obedience commands and will heel
on and off a leash. We enrolled her in an obedience class at the Dog Training Club of St. Pete.
She tested out of the beginner class and passed the intermediate class in just one session.
She was the only dog in her class to pass. Valadogtorian (do I sound
like a proud dog parent?). Lisa is going to be starting her in agility classes in a couple of
days, we are really looking forward to that.
Cali also enjoys kayaking with us to Shell Key where dogs can be off
leash if they are under voice control and has learned to ride behind my bike
in a little cargo trailer. We have taken her on vacations with us to St. Augustine
and to Key West, which is the most friendly dog town that we have found. Check
back frequently for updates on how she is doing.
Click Here for Cali's Photo Page
Back to Follow-up Stories Home Page