Janine & Rooney

Ridgestar Red Hot Hat Trick
ORT, NW1, NW2, NW3, ELITE1
“Rooney”

Sire: Ridgestar Second Mesa
Dam: Ridgestars Skyfall
Owned by: Janine Vander Yacht – Deming, Washington

I was taking Nosework classes with Striker when Rooney was a puppy. There was another beginner in class so I started Rooney as well. She liked it well enough when we were searching for food but the change in her excitement level when we added odor was amazing. She literally bounced around the room to find the hides. With Striker it was all about the food, with Rooney it’s all about finding the odor.

Rooney sailed through earning her ORT, NW1 and NW2. It took a couple of tries to get her first NW3. We were still getting our teamwork synced up at that point. She went on to earn her NW3 Elite title and is only 12 points away from earning her Elite 1! I never thought I’d be competing at this level. At our first Elite trial we went in cold. I had never seen an Elite trial and I didn’t really know what we were supposed to do. I knew Rooney was awesome so I would just let her do her thing!

She’s all business when it comes to the search. Nothing distracts her and her alert is so strong I never have a doubt when she’s found the hide. She is an amazing partner!

I started nosework with Striker about 13 years ago to help with his confidence and dog reactivity and it really helped with that. Trials were not his thing. He picked up on my nerves and spent his energy checking in with me instead of searching.

Rooney is totally different. She acts like searching is what she was born to do. She’s confident and decisive and makes every search a joy. I adore having her as a partner in Nosework and all other parts of my life.