There was a full house for Kit Perry’s presentation.
Lorraine Wilson
Happy Tails Dog Club’s Oct. 14 guest speaker Kit Perry is a dog trainer and behavior consultant. She moved to the Denton, Texas, area in 2021 to pursue a master’s degree in behavior analysis with a focus in animal behavior at UNT. However, before moving to Texas, Kit worked at several zoos, including the San Diego and Fresno Zoos in California. She trained animals in those zoos, including elephants, mountain lions, tigers, monkeys, birds, and goats. Her favorite zoo training program was with giraffes. Kit explained the process of conditioning/training that was used for giraffes.
Kit revealed many interesting facts about giraffes during her presentation. For instance, did you know that a giraffe can kick out several feet in front with its hind legs? Giraffes are also very fast and are dangerous. Zoos have developed specialized holding pens, taking in these factors to protect their handlers. Giraffes are also intelligent and are trained by using special treats (sliced apples are one favorite). Giraffes also lie down to sleep but typically only sleep an hour a day. They have incredibly long tongues, which can twist and grab things.
In 2012 Kit put her focus on training dogs when she started Creature Coach, LLC, in Central California. She currently runs her business in the Denton area while also focusing on her master’s degree. Kit showed several videos of dogs that had been trained/conditioned to behave in certain situations. For example, one video showed a dog greeting a person at the front door but immediately going to lie down in her bed rather than jump up and down and bark and get all excited (like most of our dogs do). She also showed two poodles she trained to sit in certain positions to be photographed, as they were used in advertisements for their owner’s business. Overall, it was a delightful presentation and very worthwhile to hear Kit speak to our group.
Winter holiday mini photo sessions were held on Oct. 28. It was scheduled earlier this year to give folks plenty of time to get those holiday cards ordered.
On Nov. 11 we had a member Bark & Brag event. This was a great opportunity for members to get together and show off pictures of their dogs and brag about how wonderful they are! It was a great time, as everyone loves to brag about their dogs.
In December we will have our annual member holiday party and, of course, the “White Dog” gift exchange will be the highlight of the festivities (and, no, we won’t exchange any dogs). It will be held at a member’s home, with a delicious potluck. Further details will be announced at the next meeting.
For anyone interested in becoming a member of the Happy Tails Dog Club, please check out our website, www.rrhappytailsdogclub.weebly.com. Come to a meeting and see what we are all about. This is a great opportunity for dog enthusiasts to come together, learn from fantastic guest speakers, and share dog tales.