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HOME	CLASSIFIEDS	OBITUARIES	SPORTS	OPINION

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Barking Orders

By Laura Nesbitt
Mountain View Telegraph
      Four-month-old Max was too distracted to take the treat from mom.
    But that only made Monica Richards and her 8-year-old daughter, Kayla, smile more broadly at Max, their German shepherd-pit bull mix.
    “He's going to be a big dog, and I want to teach him manners,” Richards said.
    Apparently they brought Max to the right place.
    Kim Bañales has been teaching free dog obedience and showmanship classes for the last four years in Moriarty.
    “We can learn so much from dogs. (Remember) you're dealing with an alien species, but we can build a bond where they'll tie themselves in knots to do whatever just because we asked them to do it,” Bañales said.
    The two classes for canines run back-to-back for one hour each on Wednesday nights beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Moriarty Teen Center for eight weeks.
    On June 4, a handful of dogs and their owners sat patiently at the first session called Novice Obedience — Manners: Treats and Doorways.
    A handout begins instruction stating your dog must learn how to accept treats gently, no grabbing.
    The class focus is recognition of the pack leader, or the owner, and establishing communication in that role with the dog, according to Bañales.
    “The part I love is observing discovery. Some of them come to class and don't think they can train their dogs or don't think that their dogs are able to be trained and when you get that first success it sparks another and another. It's life-affirming to see that,” Bañales said.
    Bañales has spent her entire life working with animals. Learning to understand them and teach them is a “forever process,” she said.
    “I was always one of those kids that if I didn't think (a dog) had a home then it came home with me,” Bañales said.
    The dogs and people in her class June 4 were from different backgrounds, were all different ages and came for different reasons.
    Lori LeMoine, the county Teen Court coordinator, and her daughter Elizabeth Roberts, brought their dog Bailey, another German shepherd mix.
    “She needs to learn to listen to me and not run away,” LeMoine said about Bailey.
    Beki Barreras who came with her son Kyle, brought their Swedish Vallhund, Riley.
    Kyle plans to begin classes at Moriarty High School this fall and has taken classes with Bañales since she began teaching in Moriarty.
    “I like the way Kim teaches. She doesn't yell or get mad,” Kyle said.
    Barreras appreciates the classes because of what they've taught her son, who has begun showing dogs because of what he has learned with Bañales.
    According to Kyle's mother, at the shows people come up to her son and ask him to “handle their dogs.”
    “The money he earns could help put him through college,” Barreras said.
    Barreras said she has a “blast” attending the classes with her son that have boosted his self-confidence level.
    “This is one of the best experiences for him because it's taught him responsibility, it's taught him respect, it's taught him camaraderie, sportsmanship, and losing and winning,” Barreras said.
    Barreras points to an award Kyle won that hangs in the hallway outside the Teen Center. “The Best Junior Handler Award” was given to Kyle in June 2007 by the Sangre de Cristo Kennel Club in Rio Rancho.
    “Don't just sit in your living room and watch Animal Planet and wish,” Bañales said, adding that anyone with an interest is welcome to come to her class.
    For more information, call Bañales at 384-1345.
   

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