Kasey, the Kerry Blue Terror

(Sorry, Terrier)

By Michael Cunnington of South Australia

Michael Cunnington lives in Adelaide, South Australia with "Kasey" (Kilmainhan Ferghal), who he has owned only since June10, 1998. Michael is an active contributor to KB-L (the Internet Kerry newslist), and is a lively and entertaining writer.

I'm beginning to think that Kasey, my Kerry Blue Terrier, should have been named Testey (short for testosterone) because he is a real macho male. Although he has made good progress in his obedience training by advancing quickly through beginners and grade one, I find that at the end of each lesson, I am worn out with nervous tension because he is so aggressive towards other dogs.

Club lessons usually include an activity where all the dogs sit in a wide circle while held on a leash. Then each dog and owner take a tour around the circle, weaving in and around the other dogs. The idea is to socialize the dogs and get them used to being near each other.

Kasey usually stays in his sitting position during this exercise, but his frequent growling lets passing dogs know that their presence is unwelcome and I am constantly reminding him to "Leave it!"

I remember when it was our turn, the instructor issued a warning that "Kasey is coming" and it seemed to me that everyone took an extra firm hold on their dog's lead. Then Kasey walked around growling and "eyeballing" any dog that he didn't like, while I walked alongside feeling like an attendant to Mike Tyson.

Recently, a young woman with an Alaskan Malamute approached a little too closely and suddenly the two dogs leapt into battle! I pulled Kasey out of the fray immediately and no damage was done, but the girl was very distressed by the experience. I'm afraid Kasey is getting a bad reputation.

I know some people believe in miracles, but frankly, I don't think I will ever be able to trust him to mind his own business around other dogs. (Of course, I sincerely hope that he proves me wrong.) However, if he only manages to get through grade three, he will be a more obedient companion and I will just need to accept that he must be on a lead whenever there is any possibility of trouble.

To my amazement, after such a terrible day, certificates were issued to the members who had graduated and I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that Kasey had not only got his graduation certificate, but he had also been nominated as "Dog of the Month!" I felt sure that someone must have made a mistake, but I collected the award (and the cash voucher) and left quickly before they could change their minds.

Although I know that delayed correction is meaningless to a dog, I left the club feeling very ashamed and ready to give Kasey a good scolding over his bad behaviour. However, my anger faded when we got into the car, because he immediately wagged his tail and turned to me with a mischievous expression that seemed to say, "We had a lot of fun today, didn't we, Boss?"