2
1) Sam hands Nyla Tatanka’s leash as he begins the tracking exercise. Tatanka was originally pur- chased from a breeder by an 80-year-old woman who lived in a South Florida condo. She kept the dog in a crate most of his life, eventually relin- quishing the dog she could not handle to Florida German Shepherd Rescue.Tatanka had some pretty heavy-duty behavioral issues when Sam and her mom met him. So much so that Kristen wasn’t sure they should take the dog in as a foster. Sam insisted that they were not going to leave without the dog, and that she would work with him. Today, after having worked through all of his issues, Tatanka is good with kids, other dogs and has been trained in Obedience, Track and Bite work. He suffers from hip dysplasia and myasthe- nia gravis, a neuromuscular disease. 2) Nyla praises Tatanka at the end of the tracking exercise. 3) Nyla, Sam and Niko head out for a tracking exercise. Niko is 11 months old. He and Nyla are in training together.
1 Each day, Nyla worked with Peanut
several times a day. She is happy to report that Peanut was recently adopted. As we were discussing the magnitude of her efforts, Nyla looked out towards an open field, seemingly contemplating what she would say next. Instead, she simply cocked her head slightly, shrugged her shoulders and smiled. Sam, who started working with dogs
when she was 13, has been mentoring Nyla for about seven months. While working on her associates degree, Sam worked for a veterinary hospital in Jacksonville. She interned at a Jacksonville Schutzhund club, Marienhof Kennels, where she developed a passion for sport dogs. Sam also trained at Tarheel Canine Academy in Sanford, North Carolina. During the six-month-long course, she earned her Master Training certifications in Professional Obedience Training, Behavior Modification, Personal Protection, Event Protection, Tracking & Trailing and Explosive & Narcotic Detection. She studied and worked with some of the best trainers in the country, gaining hands-on experience with police, sport and protection dogs. That eventually lead her to open her own business, St. Pete K9, which specializes in personal protection and obedience training. We invited Sam to perform demon- strations at Responsible Dog Ownership Day
40 THE NEW BARKER 3
in October during Florida’s Largest Home Show. It was there that we met Nyla for the first time. The pair drew the largest crowd of the day, as they silently worked with the dogs onstage, preparing for their presentation. In addition to her work at Pasadena
Pet Motel after school, Nyla is in the 4-H Club dog program, Crazy for Canines. The weekly classes are held at the Dog Training Club of St. Petersburg with training in Rally, Obedience and Junior Showmanship. Nyla works with Colt, Kristen Triplett’s own dog she adopted from Florida German Shepherd Rescue. Colt is also a therapy dog, certified by Therapy Dogs International. Samantha is a pretty amazing person
herself. Patient and firm when handling and training dogs, she has earned the respect of her peers, many of whom are male. No doubt she is very good at what she does in a physically demanding
profession that involves acting as a decoy during bite work. (Translation: she puts on bite gear, acts like a bad guy, is chased by a huge dog — generally a German Shepherd or Belgian Malinois — and is apprehended in the jaws of the dog until a handler commands release). Even with the bite gear on, it can still hurt. “But, you get used to it,” she said. Nelson Mandela, imprisoned for 27
years in South Africa, recited Invictus to himself and fellow prisoners as a way to bolster their spirits, inspiring them to press onward. With her aunt Katherine and aunt Maxie providing a stable home life — and people like Kristen, Samantha and Clarke Triplett in her world — Nyla will surely press
onward...and upward. U
Y
St. Pete K9 - 6735 Gulfport Blvd. S. St. Petersburg - 727.744.5914
www.StPeteK9.com
Florida Great Pyrenees Club
www.FloridaPyrs.org
Pet Pal Animal Shelter
www.PetPalAnimalShelter.com
Florida German Shepherd Rescue
www.GermanShepherd.rescueme.org
www.TheNewBarker.com
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