Gideon is a Champion
Posted 23 October, 2019
"Gideon is a Keeshond, the national dog of the Netherlands, and was born in 2014 in Canada.
He finished his Canadian Kennel Club conformation championship at the age of 11 months and then competed
state-side for his American Kennel Club championship. He was injured during his time
state-side showing and returned to his breeder in Canada with a rear-right
patella injury. The breeder decided to retire him and contacted me to ask if
I would like to take him in as a pet since I already had two of her
dogs. I said YES immediately and in August 2016 drove up to Canada to pick
him up.
Once Gideon settled in with me in
Bozeman, I took him to my vet for a checkup and we discussed his patella
injury. At the time, he was very strong in both legs, so I contacted the
breeder and got the ok to finish his American championship. This was a
very pivotal point for me – I had not shown a dog in the ring for 30 years but
I decided at the age of 52 to venture back to the world of show dogs which I
had started when I was 11 years old. I showed dogs until I entered college,
had two Great Pyrenees show dogs, and helped many friends show their various
breeds of dogs. It is a team sport I enjoy very much.
Our first season of showing was a learning curve for me – after a 30-year hiatus, I really was a newbie since the sport had changed and I was out of practice. But on our first show out; Gideon got Winners dog and 2 points towards his championship. The summer of 2017 was a great year since I met and have made some very wonderful friends and learned to show a dog again because Gideon is a very good teacher. Our second show season (2018) did not fare so well, I made some rookie mistakes in his grooming and Gideon presented himself with a severe limp in his rear end. I pulled him mid-year during the show season and returned to the vet and learned his patella was now a grade 2 and causing him serious issues. Point wise we were half way home – all Gideon needed was his two 3-point majors to finish his American title and I was devastated. As I was just getting back into the groove and enjoying the ride, my dog comes up lame and the vet is talking surgery.
I was determined for Gideon NOT to
have surgery and to find an answer that would get Gideon well again and us back
into the show ring. That fall 2018, I was showing another of my dogs in
Helena and meet a K9 physical therapist from Helena who told me about Darcy
Cook and Black Dog PT in Livingston. So, I made my way to Black Dog PT and
met with Darcy who gave Gideon and I hope again. All Fall and into Winter of 2019
I worked with Darcy to exercise Gideon and help rebuild the required muscles to
stabilize Gideon’s rear end and strength his rear legs. By the 2019 show
season, Gideon picked up his first 4-point major in May 2019 at the Lewiston,
Idaho show and on September 16, 2019 – Gideon picked up a second 4-point major
to finish his American Championship with me on the end of his lead!!
What a thrill this has been for me - not only did I find the courage to restart a path I left 30 years ago, I found a dog who is my true companion and my teacher and he leaned on me when he needed me to get him better and now today, he’s whole again – running, jumping and playing and he’s an American and Canadian Champion. I owe a great deal of gratitude to Darcy Cook for her guidance in Gideon’s rehab and her love of her work with dogs. The sheer joy and love she shows her clients and their pets is remarkable. I will forever be grateful to both Gideon for his fortitude and to Darcy for her skilled PT rehab knowledge – you both ROCK in my world!!" - Penny Knoll
Thanks, we're so happy to help! Share YOUR positive Black Dog Rehab story and photo, email buzzmemedia@gmail.com. Return to Success Stories.
Once Gideon settled in with me in
Bozeman, I took him to my vet for a checkup and we discussed his patella
injury. At the time, he was very strong in both legs, so I contacted the
breeder and got the ok to finish his American championship. This was a
very pivotal point for me – I had not shown a dog in the ring for 30 years but
I decided at the age of 52 to venture back to the world of show dogs which I
had started when I was 11 years old. I showed dogs until I entered college,
had two Great Pyrenees show dogs, and helped many friends show their various
breeds of dogs. It is a team sport I enjoy very much. Our first season of showing was a learning curve for me – after a 30-year hiatus, I really was a newbie since the sport had changed and I was out of practice. But on our first show out; Gideon got Winners dog and 2 points towards his championship. The summer of 2017 was a great year since I met and have made some very wonderful friends and learned to show a dog again because Gideon is a very good teacher. Our second show season (2018) did not fare so well, I made some rookie mistakes in his grooming and Gideon presented himself with a severe limp in his rear end. I pulled him mid-year during the show season and returned to the vet and learned his patella was now a grade 2 and causing him serious issues. Point wise we were half way home – all Gideon needed was his two 3-point majors to finish his American title and I was devastated. As I was just getting back into the groove and enjoying the ride, my dog comes up lame and the vet is talking surgery.
I was determined for Gideon NOT to
have surgery and to find an answer that would get Gideon well again and us back
into the show ring. That fall 2018, I was showing another of my dogs in
Helena and meet a K9 physical therapist from Helena who told me about Darcy
Cook and Black Dog PT in Livingston. So, I made my way to Black Dog PT and
met with Darcy who gave Gideon and I hope again. All Fall and into Winter of 2019
I worked with Darcy to exercise Gideon and help rebuild the required muscles to
stabilize Gideon’s rear end and strength his rear legs. By the 2019 show
season, Gideon picked up his first 4-point major in May 2019 at the Lewiston,
Idaho show and on September 16, 2019 – Gideon picked up a second 4-point major
to finish his American Championship with me on the end of his lead!! What a thrill this has been for me - not only did I find the courage to restart a path I left 30 years ago, I found a dog who is my true companion and my teacher and he leaned on me when he needed me to get him better and now today, he’s whole again – running, jumping and playing and he’s an American and Canadian Champion. I owe a great deal of gratitude to Darcy Cook for her guidance in Gideon’s rehab and her love of her work with dogs. The sheer joy and love she shows her clients and their pets is remarkable. I will forever be grateful to both Gideon for his fortitude and to Darcy for her skilled PT rehab knowledge – you both ROCK in my world!!" - Penny Knoll
Thanks, we're so happy to help! Share YOUR positive Black Dog Rehab story and photo, email buzzmemedia@gmail.com. Return to Success Stories.
