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Who’s a good boy?

Certifying dogs and their owners as ‘good neighbours’ at Campbell River event
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Mike Davies/Campbell River Mirror Peggy Lamb-Garey and her dog Ozzy take direction from dog trainer and Canine Good Neighbour evaluator Chris Young at Sunday’s certification. Ozzy passed his test with a perfect score.

Being a good neighbour makes every community stronger, says Cathy Merrithew of the Campbell River Dog Fancier’s Society, and that’s all the more important when you have a furry family member.

Merrithew was down at the Campbell River Veterinary Hospital in Willow Point Sunday organizing the Canine Good Neighbour Certification testing – a 12-step evaluation that determines whether a dog is a good member of the community, according to the Canadian Kennel Club.

“In some communities, like Nanaimo, where I’m from, any dog that resembles a pitbull-type is restricted unless they have their Canine Good Neighbour,” says Chris Young, the trainer and evaluator brought in for the testing. In Campbell River, that’s not the case, but it’s still a really valuable program to go through just to make sure your dog is going to behave in all of the situations being tested, Young says.

Those situations include approaching a stranger – including one with another dog – walking through crowds, staying when asked, coming when called and being able to be left alone for a short time.

Merrithew says this weekend’s testing is “about the third one we’ve had over the years, but we’d like it if it could become maybe two or three a year.”

You can find out more on the Canine Good Neighbour program at the Canadian Kennel Club website (ckc.ca), and get in touch with the Campbell River Dog Fancier’s Society on Facebook if you’d like more information on how to get your dog involved for future certification events.