Jeremy Duggleby, his wife Christine, their 13-year-old daughter Ellorie and 11-year-old son Conall, moved back to Winnipeg in 2020. Jeremy started out his military career as a Ceremonial Guard in the summers of 1995 to 1999.
He joined the Reg force in 2002 as a trombone player with the Royal Canadian Air Force Band. While in Winnipeg, the couple’s daughter Ellorie was born. From 2011 to 2015, the family was posted to Victoria. Within a month of that posting, the couple’s son Conall was born. The family was then posted to Cold Lake Alberta and in 2020 they moved back to Winnipeg, Jeremy is a Warrant Officer with the 17 Wing RCAF Band.
Ellorie and Conall attend Ecole Romeo-Dallaire school and are also involved in piano, Irish dancing, Dungeons and Dragons, and are looking forward to enrolling in swimming lessons.
After the family lost their previous Airedale Terrier, a female named Kismet, around Christmas 2021, Christine contacted the breeder they knew outside of Winnipeg to get their name on the list for a new Airedale Terrier puppy. The breeder told Christine about a 6-month-old puppy that had been returned a couple of times and asked if the Dugglebys would be interested in a trial period to get to know this dog. The family agreed and Copper joined the family.
During the first two weeks, Copper was the perfect dog that any family would love to have. However, after the trial period, when Copper became comfortable in his new home, there was a noticeable change in his behavior. The previous Airedale Terrier, Kismet, was a kind gentle dog that understood how to play and engage with young children. Copper is different in that he has an enormous amount of energy, and he requires a lot more effort and patience. Copper sometimes plays a bit rough and needs to burn off a lot of energy. Copper requires mental stimulation to avoid boredom and getting into trouble.
To deal with this excess energy Jeremy and the family walk Copper three to four times a day.
Copper has improved a great deal but at just over a year and a half old, he is still a pup, and this breed matures at about 4 years old. Jeremy would like to get Copper trained enough to harness him so he can ride behind on a bike and then transition to cross-country skis.
On their walks, Ellorie regularly saw Penny, our Saint Bernard dog, in the window begging to go with the family on a walk. Ellorie and Christine invited Penny to join them about 3 times a week. This allows Penny to get rid of some of her energy as well. The walks are about three km in and around the Sturgeon Creek area and usually last about thirty minutes.
Taking Penny for walks has turned into a part-time job for Ellorie. This young girl, who could easily be overpowered by the size and strength of Penny, has developed a calm assertive relationship with this dog that puts Ellorie in control.
Ellorie states that it was very important for her to get to know Penny and how she responds to her surroundings. Penny can be very strong-willed and when she sees other dogs, she barks and wants to engage with the other dog. Ellorie recognized that Penny needs visual commands as well as verbal commands where she gets Penny to focus on her and not the other dog. Walking the dogs on ice can be challenging and dangerous, especially when Penny and Copper decide that they want to go after something. Ellorie and the family have now purchased ice grips for their boots to avoid the sliding and possible falls. On one special day, Penny got to go on a snowshoeing trip with the family on Sturgeon Creek and surrounding paths.
Ellorie and her Mom Christine work very hard together to help Copper and Penny to socialize with each other and with other dogs and people that they meet on their walks. The dogs get to explore and learn about their neighborhood, and they come home calmer happier dogs.
Larry and I appreciate having Ellorie and her family right across the street and that they include Penny in some of their walks. It has made a really big difference in Penny’s behavior, and she looks forward to the outings.
Dog walking has turned into a great first job for Ellorie who is very well-suited to this position. When asked what her future aspirations for a career would be, Ellorie replied that she would like to be a writer who writes novels in English and French for young people and to own property where she would become an organic farmer and farm in a way that was Earth-friendly and would not use pesticides or other chemicals.
Walking dogs is great for exercising, socializing, getting to know your community, and making some spending money.
If you would like to share your Pet story in the VoxAir newspaper, contact Kelley at klpost@hotmail.com