Stage Talk with Rick Koster
Where every show has something to say.
If there’s anything better than dogs in general, it’s rescue dogs. And if there’s anything better than rescue dogs, it’s rescue dogs that perform amazing feats of athletic and acrobatic wonder.
Sorta like Houdini or Simone Biles if they had four paws!
At 2 p.m. Sunday, the Garde welcomes The Canine Stars Stunt Dog Show. It’s a family-entrancing matinee featuring an array of – yes – rescue pups whose individual and collective athletic and acrobatic skills push your boundaries of belief.
In anticipation of the event, we reached out to the Canine Star named Shazam!, a border collie mix, for a bit of background.
Garde: It’s an honor to speak with you, Shazam! What was your favorite dog novel growing up? Willie Morris’s My Dog Skip? Jack London and The Call of the Wild? Or maybe Cujo or Marley and Me?
Shazam!:
Garde: Not much of a reader, eh? Fair enough. Was it your idea to use an exclamation point at the end of your name?
Shazam!:
Garde: Oh, hell. What am I doing?! One of the few things you can’t do is talk. Tell you what, would you please go get Ethan so he can speak for you?
(Shazam! dutifully trots off and returns with Canine Stars co-owner/trainer Ethan Wilhelm, who, along with his wife and fellow trainer Keri Caraher, founded the organization 13 years and thousands of performances ago.)
Garde: Hi, Ethan. Given the astonishing abilities of these animals, is it accurate to say they’re athletes? Or are they just operating instinctually?
Ethan: I think there’s a bit of a combination of both. It’s fair to describe our dogs as professional athletes. But a lot of what we’re doing is utilizing some of their natural instincts. For example, chasing a frisbee is relying on the animal’s natural prey-drive, and we reinforce that by getting them to associate the activity with something good like a treat or affection. The professional athlete aspect on top of that comes with cross-training and a special diet because they have to be able to do it bigger and better than other dogs.
Garde: We’re not asking you to pick a favorite because you probably can’t. But among your current group, is there one you’d describe as the Shohei Ohtani or Patrick Mahones of stunt dogs?
Ethan: (laughs) They’re all really good at different things. But Shazam! does a stunt called the box jump where they kind of launch themselves over a high jump, and she does it higher than any other dog in the world right now. Like, eight-and-a-half feet. There isn’t another dog that’s come even close to that.
But we have so many dogs that excel at what they do, and I think the Garde audience will be amazed.
Garde: I don’t think we can over-emphasize that all your dogs are rescue dogs as opposed to specialty dogs bred for specific skills.
Ethan: I’ve been competing with dogs and dog sports since I was about ten years old, and back then, yes, the theory was you had to get a dog from the best breeder with the best bloodline if you wanted to do well.
But in high school I had a job at a local animal shelter as a dog caretaker, and I started to see the other side of the coin. And I just started to spend a lot of time with all these dogs that were, you know, doomed – especially the pitbull and pitbull mixes. One day, my favorite dog at the shelter – a pitbull – came up on the list to be euthanized, and I couldn’t let it happen. Without my parents’ permission, I took her home and started training her, and she did very well. And we learned what sweet dogs they really are.
At events, I was so proud to tell all these people with their exclusive breeds that mine was found taped in a box in a Walmart parking lot. I started training more and more rescue dogs. I’m rambling, but what I learned was, these dogs are family members; they’re all individuals and special, and that was our focus. That’s how we came up with our motto: “My rescue the rock star.”
Garde: How do you know if a dog is the type that might excel in the Canine Stars environment?
Ethan: We spend a lot of time when we’re adopting dogs, and foremost we’re looking for a super high energy dog that’s eager to please. One that’s going crazy for the toy in your hand, and they don’t care how high they have to jump for it. And then we also look for dogs that are problem solvers – you can sort of see them thinking, “OK, what do I have to do to get what I want?” Our trainers can recognize a dog that will focus on YOU and be willing to learn for treats. Overall, we have a fun mix of personalities, and you’ll notice that when they’re doing their specific parts of the show.
Garde: Any other thoughts you’d like to share with our subscribers?
Ethan: Dogs are wonderful. And a lot of people don’t understand that, in America, there are about a million dogs that will be euthanized each year. We have 330 million people in this country, and I’m not a mathematician, but if less than one percent of the population decided to adopt a dog, we could eliminate a terrible problem.
Garde: Last question. Do any of your dogs have endorsement deals? Like their pictures are on boxes of dog food?
Ethan: Ha! Like Wheaties! We have in fact worked with dog food companies in the past and we’re working with a start up right now developing an opportune diet with a formula that’s specific for our dogs. Eventually, we hope to get it out to the public so they can feed their own pets the way we feed our dogs.