MUCHO LOCO RED DOG? AWESOMENESS
No need to use a stunt dog, my name is Red Dog. Rojo to my friends in Mexico. El Rojo Loco!
When I started doing hard core canine disc, there were two really good red border collies. One was Flying Red Killian, trainer being my awesome friend Tracy. The other came along a year or two later in the name Sky, who was a dairy farm reject, and who was owned by an awesome cat named Mark.
But I had the secret weapon, the Good Boy Blue. Take that, you Red Dogs! (Blue was a rock star disc dog. Skyhoundz World Finalist five years in a row. Disc Dog Magazine cover dog. Sought out performer and consultant in matters canine. The Blue Dog.)
Anyway, when I started it seemed like I would never be as good as Tracy and Killy (or Swanee and Katie, for that matter, but that's another 300 words for another day).
Killy was this skinny, intense, super flexible jump monster. Tracy handles discs better than anyone. They kicked it like Bruce Lee. The most famous photo of Killy is him doing a 10 foot high back vault at Seattle Center in front of fountain. Legendary.
Sky came along real nice too. Marc and Sky did like a really pleasant show full of tricks, like Marc would spin a disc with each hand and march like a toy soldier with Sky spinning figure-eights between each step.
Marc, Sky, Blue and I all went to Disc Dog Worlds in Atlanta together in 2004 or 2005. I have the coolest old video tape of Blue kicking it at worlds and my buddy Marc gave me that video.
We were doing a lot of gigs in those days while Killy and Sky were both alive, travelling a lot. Canwest Shows in Edmonton/Calgary, Victoria, Vancouver. Shows up at Whistler Ski and Snowboard Fest. Tons of local stuff -- fairs, festivals, half time shows, birthday parties, school events. Yeah, I said birthday parties. I love 4H and I love birthday parties.
Blue almost got his picture on the large sized Milkbone Dog Biscuit box in 2006-ish. He got some awesome press on that one. It was a good time.
So the Blue Dog was settling down a little, and it seemed like a good time to get another pup. Enter stage left -- The Red Dog. Eh, El Loco Rojo.
(Get it? I had a Red Dog and a Blue Dog.) But my Red Dog wasn't like ordinary dogs.
I am a passive positive reinforcement trainer. I don't really train my dogs, I just hover over my dogs with treats and say things, "Good boy, Red Dog, Mighty Fine Red Dog. Don't Pee on that, Red Dog."
And that didn't work with Red. He was too crazy. He would get spooked and bolt. One day he would be fine. The next day he would shut down on me. Weird. Odd.
And I tried with Red Dog. I gave him four or five years of patient practice. The sick part is that he can do all the tricks -- vaults, overs, little tricks -- he just won't do them if he doesn't feel the vibe. And, mostly, if he's outside the house, he doesn't feel the vide.
So I decided that Red's would be an animal actor. He's cute as a bug with a brain full of slobber. Just like Charlie Sheen.
He's done some stuff. A little clip of him ended up on Animal Planet's Bad Dog Show. He's been in two videos that I won contests with. '
Blue Dog's best payday included winning a contest in Canada, netting his owner $2,000 Canadian. Believe it or not, Red Dog's biggest single paycheck can top that. Amazing, I know.
But without my little psycho Red Dog, I probably wouldn't have started making Youtube videos. I have to support my little guy in practicing his craft, you know.
I so loved Sky and Killy that I knew that my next dog would be a red border collie. I just didn't know that he wasn't going to the next canine freestyle disc world phenom.
It sort of all came about one day. I won some money playing the slot machines. She who must be obeyed agreed to acquiring a well bred animal of some sort. A cute little puppy. He grew into cute little dog. But there was some rough roads down the middle stretch.
That's how a lot of the stuff I do on Youtube came about. Blue was old, but well. Red was nuts all the time. So we started playing games with Red. He loves to be in videos and he really loves to have his picture taken.
He and other dogs jump around. They get snappy. Then I hover over them with treats and take their pictures. Sir, may I borrow your hat?
"Who's a good boy? Red Dog, that's who," I breath in a high pitched whisper. Red Dog looking back, like, "Gimme Cookie. Gimme Cookie."
Thus was born Dumb Dog Tricks, Stop Dog Motion, and Jimmyjumpnjive.
Jimmy Jump February 13, 2012 Tacoma, Washington
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