| Liz's Dogs (in alphabetical order) |
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Certification Abbreviations: SD is Service Dog, ThD is Therapy Dog, and CGC is an AKC Canine Good Citizen
Each dog in Liz's pack is there for a special reason - a challenge no other trainer would ever consider (Spirit), a exercise in "you can't cure crazy, but you can manage it" (Sabrah), a gift of freedom for a deaf Aussie (Scarlett). Her pack is a dynamic testament to her abilities and it also represents a broad spectrum in personalities, temperaments, sizes, and breeds.
So when a client says, "But my dog is different. You haven't owned a dog like mine" Liz just replies, "Oh yes I have!"
When asked about her favorite breed, Liz is will tell you that she's a big fan of Alaskan Malamutes and has logged over 20 years in Malamute ownership. She titled them in obedience, search & rescue, tracking, backpacking, temperament, and conformation. Her passion for this majestic breed goes back to her grandmother's interest. It was her grandmother who started the renowned Wayeh Kennel. 2006 was a hard year for Liz, as she lost her last remaining Wayeh family Malamutes to old age. Below is her current pack of "fur-babies."
Click here to access the success stories roster and see more photos
| Dog Name | Breed | Certifications |
| Brenden* (arson survivor) | Dachshund | ThD, CGC |
| Cachet* the AKC Champion (RIP) | Great Dane | ThD, CGC |
| Sabrah* | Catahoula Leopard Dog | ThD, CGC |
| Scarlet* (RIP) | Australian Shepherd | ThD, CGC |
| Spirit* | Siberian Husky | Companion |
| Zandra* | Australian Shepherd | ThD, CGC |
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An asterik(*) denotes dogs rescued by Liz or brought to her by a PUPT affiliate. |
Brenden* (arson survivor), ThD, CGC
Here is my life story... and I ain't barkin about it. But I will make it short and sweet. My old owners dumped me and my brother Rufus at an abandoned house. The kids next door did not like us (who knows why.. maybe I was being a Doxie or something) and the kids caught us, put us in a wire cage and set us on fire. The neighbors heard us and came to the rescue. From there we were shipped to Doxie Rescue and had to undergo skin grafting in several areas and rehabilitation. My little brother was burned worse than me. I recovered quicker.
As for the boys...well, if you don't have an eye witness, a photo or video, you can't prosecute the, "poor little juvies". Not fair to blame them if you don't catch them in the act even if you KNOW who it was....they had a poor childhood ya know.
Anywho, I was a snot and had aggression issues.....I would flat bite you. Aunt Liz got ahold of me because I was giving our foster mom a lot of grief.. I was an ungrateful little bugger. I was starting fights and the whole pack would jump in on me, among other things. But after 2 weeks with Aunt Liz, I was much better and she had always wanted one of our breed, so I got to live with her.
I am now a very good Doxie. I go for trail rides with the horses and I know my way around 200 acres of farm. When I get tired, which is not very often, I get to ride on top of the horse. I can even do tricks from horseback.
I still have a bit of tattle-tale in me, so here it goes... For all of you Doxie owners out there, do not let your little dogs fool you into carrying them around. I'm a little Doxie myself and I trot along on 10 mile trail rides with the big dogs! If I can do it, so can your little furbabies!
Cachet* the AKC Champion (RIP), ThD, CGC
RIP Cachet: We had a short run together, but we made it the run of a lifetime. From being dumped by her original owners to adjusting to living on my farm with all the changes it brought, she adapted thru it all and became an awesome trail dog. She traveled thru water, over hills, thru meadows, logged more miles on her paws in the 3 years we were together than most dogs get to log in a lifetime.
Up until the last 2 weeks she flat rocked on. Running thru the barn, still hiking with me, visiting our cookouts for treats and 3 days ago stuffing with hotdogs and hamburgers as we knew the time line was growing close. She was sleeping more and more and moving less and less and having trouble getting up and down. Thursday night she did not come to greet me and when I went to find her, I knew we had run out of time.
She went out with all the grace and finesse of the great lady she was. I held my beautiful senior friend in my lap and looked at the gray that now covered her once black muzzle. I noticed the loss of weight and muscle tone that had come on the last month. I noticed how tired she looked in the eyes, but most of all I noticed how much love she had for me. Neither of us had any regrets.
When I think of her, I will remember all the times she was on trail, all the times she was in therapy work, all the times at the barn and the cookouts and sleeping by my bed. But most of all.....I remember the grace, elegance and class of a great lady. If only I had half of her qualities what a better person I would be.
Thank you Randy Weaver (her breeder) for letting this lovely lady come to live with me during her senior years (after being left behind by her original owners).
Most of all thanks to Beth Richardson for telling me about Cachet and helping her come to live with me. Both of you gave me a gift of a lifetime...no matter how short that lifetime was :)
-Liz Norris
Cachet's Story: I, Liz, received a call from Beth Richardson (Great Dane owner her in town) that a breeder had a dog needing a home. She was a, "come back". In other words, her owners had returned her according to the contract that they had signed upon purchasing the puppy. All responsible breeders take back their dogs for any reason at any age.
The owner's were moving to China and couldn't take Cachet with them. Why? Who knows...they sure were able to take a Great Dane puppy of 6 months with them. It is almost impossible to place senior dogs. They have medical issues and they have a short time line, especially a Great Dane whose circle of life runs approximately 8-10 years, even when healthy.
Cachet was beautiful, though smaller than some Great Danes. She had her AKC Championship and had never been bred. The owner's fulfilled their contract and had her spayed. After 8 years of living in the same home and environment, she was thrown out into the world. Think of you being 80 and the same thing happening ... your family leaves you on the doorstep and says, "well, see ya, it's been fun" ... we'll call you.
Cachet was very timid and fearful and would run from anyone that tried to see or pet her. When the barn crew came to round up horses, zoom, she flew to the garage and hid. Same with any company I had. Kids were a biggie. She became very upset when they were animated. I mean VERY. A couple of kids came running across the yard onto the porch and the animation sent her ballistic and she charged forward with every hair raised and teeth flashing. I couldn't have that.....I wanted to make her a therapy dog and besides I have too much company on my property. So Cachet started my behavior modification program and command obedience. From the first day she arrived I put her on, "Rules for Canines" and we proceeded to start desensitization exposure to kids.
About Cachet and her cat, Mocha: It was hard to tell who owned who, but from day one of Cachet arriving to live with us, Mocha adopted her. She became, Mocha's dog. If you saw one, you could find the other and they slept together right to the end. Mocha the cat misses her terribly. This is the 3rd dog that Mocha (age 7) has lost that he cared for and has outlived.
Sabrah*, ThD, CGC
"U Can't Cure Crazy" but you can sure learn to manage it... - Liz Norris
Sabrah's Story: My name is Sabrah, (pronounces Say-Bruh) and my Aunt Lori named me. I was at the Shelbyville Humane Society and scheduled for put down. They sent out an e-mail in the hopes of rescuing some of the death row dogs and I caught the attention of Liz. She called and they still had time for her to make it to me before close of business day. My future mom threw on some clothes and came straight to my jail cell. I was cowering in the corner against the cold, concrete wall as you can see in the first photo above. She had to pry me off the wall and carry me to her car. We went straight to the bathtub.
I came to a strange place and found out it was to be, "home". There are lots of dogs here and some belong to the Norris family and some are looking for their, "forever family" like I was. Mom thinks I look like a calico cat and she loves them. Zandra, her blue merle aussie told me this. Cachet is her Great Dane and huge....I was a'scared of her for a long time.....the Malamutes a'scared me too with their unique, "talking"...they wooooooooooo. Presently I have almost zero drives (things I will work for) and 13 sensitivities (things I am afraid of) and adding. I am still getting sick in the truck after almost 3 weeks of being dragged everywhere. I am not food nor toy motivated. I will get excited about food and once I take a bite, I am like, "is that all you have"? Just in the last week I have started to interact and play with other puppies that are smaller than I am of approximately the same size. Before this past week I was scared of them.....I growl at puppies or dogs when they come near my food bowl or toys and we are working on, "share".....Zandra says mom does not like dogs that guard things and I better shape up.
I am also scared of men, women and groups of people or kids. Oh yeah, I am also noise sensitive and new place sensitive. I am very comfortable in my home environment and at class, but new environments make me afraid. I hate the power downs in class and at home and I am just learning that the, "Relax" is not so bad, but I think I should say when it is over........for some reason they think I need to go to school and I am working on obedience commands. My, "waits" are awesome, my, "come fronts" flat rock, my, "back up" is like a moonwalk when I offer it, and when mom ask me to, I am all over the place.......my, "sit" and, "watch me" are perfect. Down is not necessary, but I like Stand and could do it forever. If you are standing you are ready to run....and are already ahead of the game. You only have to run faster than the slowest dog or human to escape the dragons. Mom says I need to relax upside down in her arms while she is standing. She picks me up and says, "dead pups don't move"...now what is that about????? I am trying, but it is hard. Trust is very hard for me to give. But mom says I will be fine. She has faith in me.
I am looking much better and have gained some weight. Mom says she was going to get a miniature aussie, but I would do just fine and hopes I stay this size. She just loves the fact that she now has a, "calico cat dog", whatever that means. Look for more news on me coming soon. I am going to be something called a, "therapy dog" like Zandra and the retired Norris dogs. I hope I like being one.
Update: It has now been several months since I was adopted by my forever mom. I am doing much better with kids, dogs and new places and I love to trail ride. I adore cats and I want one for my very own. I try with the family cat, Mocha but he blows me off and just freezes and is not much fun. Kiera will not even consider it.....she runs off to be with her Kuvasz.
Today, (Sept. 2nd) I actually choose to get into a van with a little girl and let her pet me. I wasn't scared at all and yesterday I got into mom's truck for the first time and lay down in the front seat. Boy was that a mistake......I thought she was going to drive right back to the house....wrong! Once I was in the truck she decided to take me for a ride to see how I would do. I drooled some, but I DIDN'T get car sick:) Yeah!!! I was getting car sick every time I got into the truck and crate or seatbelt and I had started to run from the truck when mom would get ready to leave. I was afraid I would have to go and I didn't want to. But after 3.5 months of making me ride somewhere everyday, I have gotten past it. Finally....... now 10 million other phobias to go:)
Update Summer 2007:Walking poster dog for, "U Can't Cure Crazy" but you can sure learn to manage it...
Remember my little fearful, crazy pup that I drug home from Shelbyville death row - May of last year.....scared of everything and had 13 sensitivies at testing (things she feared) and ZERO motivators.....
Now she is cuddles with a young cowboy at the barn.....she was terrified of kids more than adults.
She is still Crazy....
you can't cure crazy, but it sure can be managed.
Now she has motivators: Food, toys, horse Trail Riding, Mom and puppies (loves to play with small pups or very young dogs - mothers them)
Always seek help from a professional animal behaviorist, like Liz Norris, when dealing with issues like Sabrah's.
Scarlet* (RIP), ThD, CGC
Rest in Peace, Scarlet.
Scarlet died in her sleep from heart failure. Liz gave this deaf Australian Shepherd the freedom and inspiration for life that no one else could have. With Liz, Scarlet was learned sign language and was able to go on long trail rides with horses and dogs - off leash and free. Scarlet would frequently lead the way, turning around every 100 yards to look for Liz's signal to continue forward. In her short life with Liz, Scarlet lived every second to the fullest. Her deafness and pure white coat were not the only genetic defects she had - her body just couldn't keep up with life. On an ordinary afternoon in 2008, Scarlet died peacefully in her sleep - she was only a few years old. Please read Scarlet's story below. She was an inspiration to everyone.
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I'm a pure white Australian Shepherd (Aussie for short) and, guess what, I'm DEAF. I'm sad to say that I'm the result of irresponsible breeders. Liz rescued me and decided to give me a life of happiness and freedom at her farm as one of her own dogs.
My old family thought I was just "too dumb to be trained" and they dumped me at the pound. Liz found out about me and decided to see what all the fuss was about. Well, turns out, I'm just deaf, and I am very smart. Guess my old owners were the dumb ones. I can't believe they couldn't figure out that I could not hear a thing.
Anyway, Liz put me through the temperament test process and I passed. I knew I would. She also decided to keep me as her very own. I love my new mom.
Now, I'm living a life that now one else could give me. I earned all of my certificates using just hand signals. I am very good at paying attention. I even get to go on long trail rides in the woods with my mom and the horses.
Sometimes, we go for 10-20 miles. I have learned to feel the ground for vibrations. Even if I am many yards ahead, I can sense when everyone has turned around. I just turn around too.
My mom does a lot of dog training from horseback and she takes the dogs in the rescue program for rides too. Almost always, they follow along really well, but every now and then they get off of the path. Zandra, my mom's other Aussie, is the one that gets sent back out on the 200 acres to round them up. I'm learning how to do that too. Isn't that funny... a deaf dog being on the doggie rescue team.
Hey, there's nothing wrong with my herding instinct or my sniffer, but it would have been nice if my breeders had given me good ears too. Be sure to remind people to spay and neuter dogs that have genetic disorders.
Spirit*, Companion
Spirit is a success story in so many ways. He was rescued in 2006 by Liz Norris - no one else could handle him and the phrase "Oh my, what big teeth you have" comes to mind. Spirit had lived life in its purest sense - for survival. His stealth, agility and visceral hunting skills would have earned him the right to lead any wild pack. He had no intention of sharing his land (or food, or air, or anything) with humans, for any reason, ever. He truly was a free spirit and the ultimate challenge for any professional trainer. "It took me less than 3 seconds to realize why he was dumped . . ." said Liz. He has tested her skill, patience and intuition every step of the way, but she ultimately prevailed. (Kudos to her behavior modification program!) Spirit has learned trust and respect, and that's what saved his life.
Today (August 2007), he is no longer jumping on young kids and not walking on their shoulders or head. He he is neither MOUTHING on young people's hands or clothing......or anywhere else for that matter, nor is he trying to wrap his paw around a leg or trying to pull the children's jeans off.......... Take a look at Spirit's photo links to see how content his is now.
I'm pretty sure some of you remember him doing all of the above and then some!
Spirit's Story by Liz Norris: My story begins on Harviland Road in Frankfort, Ky. I was on a farm, running and playing and found cows, calves and assorted livestock! Wow!! What a party and fun things to chase. Not!!!! The man who owned the farm wanted to shoot me.... the lady who lived with him said, "lets call our daughter, she might be able to use him". For those of you who think, ahhhhh what a nice lady, she is not an animal lover, can't stand dogs, cats or anything other than the cows that bring in money. But her daughter turned out to be a lover of animals or anything fuzzy and a K-9 Instructor.
She came out to get me on a Friday evening. I was in the barn and not sure what was up, but I had food, water and it all seemed good. I could hear the older set talking about me and the lady saying she hoped I would, "work out"...the older gent said, "they don't dump dogs like this that, "work out". I guess that meant my former owners would never come back. That made me a little sad, but I was really starting to like it here.
I heard a truck pull up and lots of conversation... footsteps came my way. I liked the sound of the footsteps and was waiting for the owner of them when she approached. I liked her right off. She stepped up to me, did a collar grab and said, "come on big boy" lets go see what you've got, you're a young one (I was approximately 8-9 months old)..... walked me to the truck, hoisted me into the back (huge crate) and took me home. I have been here every since and I have proven a handful. I have growled, mouthed arms and hands, told her I did not want her to touch me all over, told everyone else that too, told them to stop picking me up under my chest and lifting my front paws off the ground, (no one here listens), told them I will grumble and mouth you really hard over the , "relax" exercises in class, but no one listens.. this lady will not give up on me:( Suffered thru butt grabs, tail pulls, meeting autistic kids and working with them (I did awesome and flat rocked), playing with other dogs, (I am too rough and we are working on that), chasing cats (stop that right now you little shit), working with horses and trail riding (what an awesome experience that is) and I am doing excellent with Sit, Down, Stand and really trying for mom on loose leash walking and targeting back to her hand (here, now command). She says I am too good in too many areas to keep giving her the same answer in this one area (aggression). But she can share my toys, blow raspberries on me, share my rawhides, touch me pretty much all over now and says I am slowly coming around. I think she really likes me. I hope so, I like it here and she has an Alaskan Malamute that will not be with her much longer. He is the love of her life... I can tell by the way she looks at him and I am jealous. I want someone to look at me that way too. I can feel her love for him wrapped around them like an invisible aura. I want that but am unsure how to get there from here. But I will keep trying and see if she really will let me be the dog that she says is in my soul. My heart is not black, my spirit is not clouded, and my soul pulls me to the light side. Some days I want that really bad and others it is so hard to give up what I am so comfortable with..... offering the mouth, teeth, growling. But she says that is now really who I am and I need to find true self and she is going to help me.
Let us hope you will be reading this forever. If you do, then I have made it to the light and put the dark past behind me and I am running the fastest, "race of life" that I can.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006 10:24 PM
Hi Liz,
Today I took my two, Tippy, Sabrah (who was acting excited even when she saw us), and Spirit (because I hated to leave him there by himself). The only one who took off for any real period of time was Tippy. Sabrah and Shelby would range far ahead and double back. Mattie is my constant shadow. This makes things hard on her, because I am horrible on hills, up or down, and even worse on rough terrain. That's why I'm out there, by the way, because I need to work the hell out of this foot.
Anyway, the one that surprised me was Spirit. He was nearly as attentive as Mattie. The only time he left my side was on the way back, when we got to the second gate. He went on with the rest up to the house. I know you've had problems with him, but I hope you find a place for him. I walked up behind him and grabbed his butt, his ears, his tail.....only on the last did he try to mouth my hand and it was nowhere near what he had been doing. [For those who don't know this story here, I (being Liz his trainer) have bruises all over my arms and hands from his, "Pac dog" mouthing and growling he wants to offer, but the vinegar bottle is reigning supreme and winning out].
Sabrah was positively friendly, although I did get real tickled at her. I sat down at one point and she ran up grinning at me. I went to pet her and whoosh, she was gone.
Oh....and Ryder is the coolest dog ever. Every time I stop by, I get him to sing and we both walk around going "woooooooooooooooooo woooooooooooooooooooooo."
Leslie
About the breed: Bold, No Fear. A breed that gives new meaning to the old verbiage......Unless you're the lead dog, the view never changes. You can see it in the eyes of a leader. Spirit, confidence, stability, intelligence ....the vision to go further, push harder and blaze new trails so others can follow....the kind of vision that can give you a clear advantage. A fire that constantly burns to push yourself harder, do more and get more out of life than ever seems possible and when you accomplish that goal you set another one to climb towards .... never looking back. There is always, "more". This is not a breed for an inexperienced owner. Though most huskies are gentle, friendly, alert and love humans, they are strong in the independent thinkers area. You have to convince them they are part of your team. You have to earn their respect. They don't give it just because they can. Begin obedience classes early and NEVER stop until death do you part. Socialize them early with cats, small dogs, kids and anything that they will perceive as lunch or prey to chase as they grow into adulthood. Correct temperament huskies adore children which comes from their nomadic background and living so closely with their families) and as pack dogs that are genetically disposed to living together and working together a s a team, correct tempered huskies like other dogs...but unless socialized with the smaller, fuzzy set do not necessarily recognize a Shih Tzu for instance as a dog..... it looks more cat like and squeaker toy to them. By the way..... they love things that squeaker and love make them squeak.
This breed has a double coat of medium length, straight and smooth-laying above, soft and dense undercoat. Correct coated huskies are easy keepers and need only be brushed a few times per week, daily when blowing coat which happens 2x per year. Common colors are gray/white, chestnut/white, black/white and white huskies. Their eye coloring ranges from brown in both, blue/brown (one of each color) or blue steel. Disney movies have popularized this breed and now rescues are full of them. People who watch the movies find the dogs beautiful (they are) and are drawn to the wildness, free spirit, devil may care attitude that comes across on the screen... buyer beware...what you get is not always what you need. It is one thing to believe you can handle a fantasy, and entirely another to live it every day. They have a high energy level and need a job or become very destructive and howl. It is not an option to come home and, "sit on your couch" after a hard day at work.... you still have to meet your huskies energy and mental stimulation needs.
Huskies love to hike, walk and backpack (if you own a sled or carting with them...so much the better, also weight pulling will take the edge off). Originating in Siberia more than 3,000 years ago, this breed lived the nomadic life of the Siberian traders and was brought to North America around the 20th century. This is an original breed and not, "man made" (man made breed would be a Doberman).
Zandra*, ThD, CGC
This beautiful Australian Shepherd was a breeder placement. Originally purchased for showing by a family, she was returned to the breeder at the age of 15 months. Instead of training her, they put her in the backyard for destructive behavior in the house. She then proceeded to excavate their backyard and formed Zandra's Excavation Company.
I was teaching obedience classes in Lexington, Kentucky at the time Zandra became available. Her breeder was in my class and we had talked about her dogs several times. I was interested in adding to my furbies and I wanted this breed.
Though my primary breed of choice is the Alaskan Malamute, I have never been a, "one breed" person. When Zandra came home with me, my little man, Shawnee (Alaskan Malamute) was very sick. He had just turned 4 years old and recently diagnosed with bone cancer. I was in the final stage of hospice care for him. I had lost his father the summer before and my prize female a month earlier. Needless to say it had not been a good time frame for me.
When Zandra arrived she was a shy little thing and would peek out at the other dogs from behind me. She was very insecure with men and tended to gear more to women. Kids she was not sure about at all. She watched them like one would observe foreign creatures from another planet. Her exposure to different environments and things had been very limited. I began taking her out and about immediately and socializing her to everything I could convince her to get near. A male student of mine told me (years later) that when I introduced Zandra to the class as my next, "therapy and class demo dog" he told his wife on the way home that I had, "lost my mind" and, "that aussie" was a, "nut case".
Shawnee had been staying in his little doghouse a lot that week and I was pretty sure we were nearing the end of the trail. When she bounced out of the car, he came out to greet her. I was thrilled because it was the most interest he had shown in anything all week. He woowoooed at her and tried to kiss her ears and play. The next day he was still responding to her. That was on a Thursday and by Monday I had to let my little man go. He went quietly at home surrounded by family and love. It was a great loss to me both in heart and soul.
I thought about Zandra and how much comfort she had given Shawnee in those few days together and how sweet she was. I decided that if she meant that much to Shawnee she needed to stay with me for her lifetime. She became a beloved member of my family and went on to earn her therapy title, CGC and UKC-CD in quick fashion.
Today she works in K-9 & Kid Safety Programs in the local schools, goes to nursing homes and works with the K-9 & Kid READ program. She is full of life, always happy and loves showing of her tricks. It is hard to believe anyone would give this dog up for any reason. She was the perfect combination of beauty and brains with a neat sense of humor.......at least from my perspective.
Zandra has brought much joy and happiness to a lot of people, but most of all she has brought more than that to me. Over the past years some of her best therapy work has been for mom. She is one awesome little lady and a jewel among furbies.
-Liz Norris
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