Belgian Sheepdog Champion

Initially, he isn’t a keeper for owner-author Nasser. But the affable George, a Great Dane, literally grows on him many times over in this endearing narrative.

Be prepared, however, “Giant George” is in a plodding mode in the early going before assuming momentum and taking on a personality of its own outside the family environment of Nasser and his wife Christie.

After advertising the $2,000 puppy – his wife’s true love – for sale it becomes too much to handle and Nasser has a change of heart, recognizing, “he was part of our family, and no matter what the hassle, no matter what the pain, one thing you don’t give up on is family.”

Two devastating failed childbirths take a huge emotional toll on the Tucson, Ariz., couple, but the challenge of raising the fast-growing Great Dane, the runt of a litter of 13, offers plenty of emotional amenities they never bargain on.

Viewed in awe by some and a misfit by others in dog parks, Gentle George transforms into Giant George, weighing 180 pounds at 11 months, 214 at two years and 245 at three years.

When the couple finally welcomes its first child, Annabel, the dog ignores the infant for months while grappling for the couple’s attention for the first time. Eventually, the sulking George recognizes Annabel isn’t going away and opts to become her best friend.

George’s height and weight are front and center everywhere he travels. After he tips the scales at 245, a friend suggests the couple take a look at the Guinness Book of Records web site to determine if he might be the world’s biggest dog. This unleashes the formation of Team Giant George and a full media blitz, producing worldwide attention on the unflappable giant.

The campaign produces these gaudy statistics: 75,000 Facebook friends, 2.5 million hits by summer of 2011 on his YouTube video and 5,000 visitors daily on his web site.

George is eventually certified as the world’s tallest dog at 43 inches (at the shoulders), breaking the former mark of 42¼ inches, but the effort has its detractors. While orchestrated in fun, Christie and Dave discover others view it differently, disputing their original claim to the Guinness title and forcing a reapplication, including a follow-up measurement by a second veterinarian with a Guinness official on hand.

Once recognized, Giant George’s world suddenly is thrust into fast forward. First, up is a whirlwind appearance and flight to the “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in Chicago, overnight accommodations in the master bed in the best suite of the Omni Hotel and countless demands for additional TV, radio and print interviews from media worldwide once they touch down back in Tucson.

With refreshing candor, Nasser frames the big picture, “first and last, our Georgie is our much-cherished pet” not a tool to fame and fortune. In the process, the author approaches his subject with vigor and sensitivity maintaining the dog’s welfare as his No. 1 priority throughout.

This forgotten, yet iconic piece of interior Alaskan history from the late 1890s until the 1940s is resurrected to some degree each March with the Iditarod Trail Race from Anchorage to Nome.

No comparisons should be made, however, Schneider emphasizes, between today’s race mushers, whose priorities are speed, minimum of weight and highly trained dog teams. Conversely, the carriers and their dog teams were recognized as “a human link in a chain of communication that moved the mail across the North” via challenging trails, bustling roadhouses and inclement weather.

The author’s work combines the first-hand accounts of several individuals who as kids and young adults traveled with the mail carriers at the end of the dog-team era with information from archives in Fairbanks, Whitehorse and Washington, D.C. Photos, maps and data tables further complement the presentation.

Michael Mason, who traveled in the Upper Yukon in 1922, captures the importance of the mail carrier:

“To those who live their lives along the Yukon, the farthest frontier of civilization, the visits of the mail are the only regular events of importance. The mail joins friends far apart, reminds one of another world beyond the spruce forests and the mountains, and sometimes brings in travelers, who may be strangers or old friends, but always are carriers of news, the most welcome luxury in Alaska.”

A compelling portrait, “On Time Delivery” delivers a big picture of Alaska’s early interior history in a nicely packaged cultural context, accented with earthy narratives and tough realism.

Pigs don't fly, but Gabe soars. Here, he clears a hurdle en route to earning his first Utility leg in a recent Oregon bulldog specialty show.

Photos courtesy Cheryl Knapp and Jerry and Lois Photography

By Ranny Green

What’s your idea of a perfect balance of actor/athlete? Chances are it isn’t a 5-year-old, 65-pound, rock-solid bulldog.

Gabe may be just the guy to change your mind once you see this versatile guy on film and in the competition ring.

“He’s a natural showman, a fun-loving clown who loves to cater to a crowd,” says owner Cheryl Knapp, of Bellingham. “He also has a competitive, can-do attitude and believes he can do anything. He has incredible balance, coordination, as well as structure and movement. Couple that with a winsome expression and you ‘have a face people would pay money to see,’ says ‘America’s Got Talent’ judge Howie Mandel. It’s not often that non-bulldog owners think this breed is attractive, but I am constantly being complimented on what a beautiful animal he is.”

Gabe deals with one challenge after another on the agility course at the Seattle show.

Adding to the well-rounded dog’s numerous competition titles, film and video credits, are two equally impressive credentials: Therapy Dog International and Canine Good Citizen (American Kennel Club) certifications.

Bulldogs have been called by some as one of the least trainable breeds because of their independent and stubborn proclivities. Knapp strongly disagrees. “It is a very intelligent breed, and as such attempts to outsmart its owner. Bulldogs respond well to motivational-type training, though I do believe in a firm hand when needed.”

The majority of Knapp’s training is upbeat, fun and rewarding, but she adds, “This breed won’t work for free, hence you must be certain to make it worth its while.”

With their massive head and shoulders, heavy bone and flat face, bulldogs can easily overheat in performance competition. Knapp puts it all in perspective: “A bulldog athlete is simultaneously weightlifting while running its course, so conditioning is imperative. Gabe is a structurally-sound animal and a good breather. I keep him at a good, healthy weight, and regular exercise helps him stay toned and fit for all of the activities we engage in.”

Gabe double-dares you to take one of his "jolly balls."

Knapp has owned, trained and titled eight bulldogs, earning multiple titles in several pursuits. “Once trained, they don’t forget and can be ready to go into the ring with minimal practice,” she says. “I recently met Gabe’s sponsor, Jeanne McClelland, in Oregon for some specialty shows, where I took his two daughters, Angel and Gabby, into the Rally Novice ring after not seeing them for six months. Both easily earned their final RN legs with scores of 97 and 95, after only a few minutes to warm up and review their training.”

Traveling to competitions throughout the West is expensive, however. As a sponsor, McClelland helps pay Gabe’s entry fees, agility and tracking classes, equipment, hotel and travel costs.

Knapp, a dental assistant, has always had dogs around. “We ended up with Pugs when I was young and I became involved in 4-H work. That’s when flat-faced breeds stole my heart,” she says. She has owned bulldogs for 22 years, loving their humanlike characteristics and fun-loving personalities. Her first bulldog, Rosie, was also her first competition obedience entry, earning CD and CDX titles within a year, then becoming a second-place winner on “America’s Funniest People” TV show, later appearing on “America’s Funniest Home Videos” most popular dog montages, riding her rocking horse.

Who me stressed? An unflappble Gabe rests his head on owner-handler Cheryl Knapp's shoe moments before they enter the agility ring at the Seattle Kennel Club Dog Show in early March.

As the photos here capture, Gabe is your consummate showman. Hence, he and Knapp receive numerous invitations to enter video contests. Money, challenge and notoriety all play into her decision whether to pursue an invite. “With my full work schedule, it is impossible to participate in every one that comes up,” she explains. “While I have a very understanding boss, sometimes the demanding, last-minute fickleness of the show-business scene does not coordinate with real life.”

Because Knapp works near home, it allows her to return home, eat lunch and carve out a few minutes to practice a new trick or routine with Gabe. “Training has to be more of a way of life rather than a large chunk of time,” she says. “As a result, most of my practices occur around feeding times.”

This, she emphasizes, establishes a regular training time that also teaches them learning is fun and rewarding – and that they must earn what they received. Once she begins putting all the various pieces of the competition puzzle together, she takes the young dogs to different settings to simulate ring conditions.

If an opportunity for a TV or media appearance is presented, Knapp puts all other activities on hold to focus on that. “Gabe is pretty adept at performing his tricks,” she adds, “and just a few minutes here and there of polishing gets him ready to go on stage again. I usually have to put his toys away or he’ll wear himself out trying to show off, however.”

Knapp gets in some field practice with Gabe, who is working toward a Tracking Dog certification.

With one exception, Knapp and Gabe have operated without an agent, noting that her fellow bulldoggers and other dog lovers are quick to inform her of show-business opportunities. She worked with an animal agent in Canada for the 2010 family comedy, “The Dogfather,” starring Chris Parnell.

She was urged to contact the individual by an acquaintance who was making a set of scent articles for Gabe. They had just returned from Hollywood, where Gabe took top honors in the Worldwide Fido Awards in 2008, winning $15,000. Shortly after being introduced, Knapp received a call from the agent who had just been contacted by a director looking for a white, male bulldog to play the lead in “The Dogfather.”

“How often does that happen that a script is written centered around your dog?” asks Knapp, “And you just happen to be in that right place at the right time. “

Last summer Gabe and Knapp were quarterfinalists in Season 6 of “America’s Got Talent.” Then in the fall they performed live in Times Square on “Good Morning America,” where he was crowned GMA’s Top Dog in its canine competition. Earlier this year he was featured several times on a new Animal Planet show, “Who Let the Dogs Out.”

And, yes, just in case you’re wondering: Gabe has his own web site to showcase what he’s been up to lately. So far he’s done four commercials: an online high school (Insight Schools); Doritos’ “Crash the Super Bowl”; Barleans Organic Oils (Olive Leaf Throat Spray) and PetHub (PetHub ID tags). You can check out all of them on http://www.gaberocks.com. Knapp hopes to launch Gabe’s official fan club soon with memorabilia and other perks for members.

Lavishly illustrated and photographed throughout, this kids’ volume also comes with peppy packaging and an upbeat, yet challenging tone.

Rutherford’s invigorating work is one of the most complete dog portraits fashioned in years, not simply because of its layout, but the complementary text designed to inform and engage young readers.

The author, a dog-obedience instructor for more than two decades, has bred, trained, shown and done field work with Labrador retrievers for more than 40 years.

The changing roles of dogs from their origins; instincts and senses; how dogs learn to live with people; roles and responsibilities of the family pack; learning how to decipher the dog’s body language; the value of teaching your dog good manners; and the history and future of the dog in society are among the subjects addressed.

This is one of those rare primers that is equally valuable in a (science or social studies) classroom, library or home environment, since it backgrounds the young reader about the species canis lupus familiaris while establishing guidelines for responsible ownership today.

The dog’s day-to-day actions are determined by both its owners, she emphasizes, and its historic relationship to the wolf. “But even though the dog is so close to us now,” says Rutherford, “he isn’t a member of our world. His genetic structure differs by only two percent from that of the wolf. He has adapted to humans and chooses to live in our world, but the dogs we know and love still have ‘wolfness’ in them, even after thousands of years.”

With “A Dog is a Dog,” Rutherford hands the young reader a map that details influencing pathways of canine history yet empowers him/her with tools for maximizing that human-animal bond today.

Chesapeake Bay Retrievers

Portuguese Water Dog

Did You Call Me?

Agility!!!

Loving Heart