Freja (pronounced "FRAY-uh"), was adopted from the Lawrence Humane Shelter in the fall of 2002. She was 9 months old, and had lived at the shelter since she was 4 mths old. The shelter had taken great care of our girl, she was very friendly, and knew some basic commands.

We have always believed the value of obedience training in helping develop a heathly relationship between canine and human, so we enrolled Freja in obedience classes as soon as we could, and continued in classes for almost two years - not because Freja was disobedient, but because we felt the interaction with other humans and dogs was beneficial, and Freja clearly enjoyed her weekly outings, and so did we!

We only discontinued obedience training after we moved from Lawrence, and Freja had obtained her Canine Good Citizen designation from the AKC.

The same week we started obedience, we also started training in agility. Freja was over the moon with this venture, and like most agility dogs, is thrilled with every class and every trial. As a mixed breed, she is able to compete in NADAC and UKC trials; fortunately, there are several trials a year in the greater Kansas City area, so there is plenty to do without even leaving the area. Sirius Photography has graciously permitted us to reproduce some of their photographs of Freja in action on this website.

We are always on the lookout for new and fun activities to share with our Freja. While in Lawrence, we spent many weekends and evenings in the off-leash dog park, meeting human and canine friends.

Off-leash dog parks can be great places to exercise your dog, and we love taking Freja to them, but unfortunately, there are also some negatives to consider, before you take your dog to one.

Some Thoughts to Consider Regarding Dog Parks:

1. While not everyone believes in vaccinations, I always make sure Freja is up-to-date before I go to an off-leash park, because someone may bring a sick dog out to play. Plus not everyone picks up after their dogs, so there are lots of possibilities for picking up some uninvited guests! Not everyone understands and complies with park guidelines that are designed with dog and human safety in mind.

2. I always keep an eye on my dog and the dogs around her; watching their body language. Not every dog is friendly, and many dogs are not under control by their humans; off-lead, this means that things can get ugly very quickly if no one is paying attention, and the dogs are uncontrollable. Many of us have seen dogs injured at dog parks.

3. Puppies and young children are not a good idea at a dog park. Not all dogs are friendly towards puppies, and puppy immune systems may not be up for the challenge. For dogs unused to small children, a child's quick movements towards the dog and squeals of delight can be seen as threatening.

That being said, a dog park can be a wonderful place to burn off some canine energy!

Freja obviously has some herding instinct (she tries to herd us out the door to play frisbee, for instance). So a few months after we got her, we decided to have her herding instinct tested. There is obviously a huge gap between a little herding instinct and a true herding dog as Freja found out. Follow the link to see a short presentation of Freja's experience...

Freja's absolute favorite passtime is playing frisbee. She may not have the fancy moves of the Kansas City Disc Dogs, but she lives to play. She is always happy when Julie comes home from work, but is especially happy because it means it's time to go out and play frisbee! We cannot mention the word without meaning to go out and play. If Freja needs some revving up to run an agility course, it is the promise of some frisbee play that makes her go that extra distance. In fact, if you see Freja starting to slow through the weave poles on an agility course you will hear the handler switch from saying "weave" to "frisbee"...

Unfortunately, frisbee, like agility and other athletic activities, can be hard on a dog, just as repetitious activity or lack of activity can be. Freja has some shoulder issues that make the kind of jumping shown to the left very hard on her. This shoulder issue was also apparent in the slow deliberate way in which she used to approach weave poles on the agility course.

It was this problem that eventually led Julie to the Lang Institute for Canine Massage, and the creation of Paws and Effect, LLC.

Freja gets a massage almost every night - in fact she insists on it! When we are heading for bed, she runs to the massage room and jumps up on the massage table, ready for some relaxation.

Freja has been a part of Paws and Effect from it's inception, in fact, she attended the 6-day practicum at the end of Julie's schooling. It was a great time for her; not only did she meet a lot of different dogs, she received massages from all of the students and faculty. It was no doubt the best vacation she ever had!

When possible, Freja accompanies Julie to dog shows and gets a massage or two between customers. She also serves as Julie's assistant during massage presentations, helping to illuminate canine structure and massage techniques.

Freja and Julie were certified as a Pets For Life therapy team in 2009, and make weekly visits to 2 retirement homes in Wyandotte County, KS.