Dancing with their dogs

It's great exercise, they say, a fun way to get the blood moving and the spirit lifted. What's unique about this group is their dance partners.

Donna Still dances with two Australian shepherds, Salsa and Clancy.

Char Huffman often matches her steps with a sheltie named Jazzy.

And Kim Duffek's handsome sidekick is a standard poodle named Henry.

The dogs have been trained to follow their two-legged companions' lead and, according to their dance partners, enjoy moving and grooving as much as people do.

"Basically what we're doing is obedience (training) to music," said Duffek, 48, one of 12 members of the Tucson Musical Canine Freestyle Club.

The group, which is sponsored by Karyn Garvin, a Tucson dog trainer and animal-behavior specialist, meets on Sunday afternoons and often on Tuesday evenings to practice their moves. They also dance at fundraisers and do demonstrations at local retirement homes and at schools, where they emphasize positive dog training to children.

"What we do is help other non-profits that help animals," said Debbie Blattstein, 54, who dances with two of her five Samoyed dogs, Starlight Master Yoda and Starlight Red Badge of Courage.

Blattstein and other Freestyle Club members say that in addition to the dancing and laughing, the group provides them with support for everyday life.

The women have seen each other through some difficult times since they came together two years ago. Blattstein battles with lupus, and Still, 55, underwent months of treatment for breast cancer.

Both women say they are doing well because of the group and, of course, their dogs.

Still, a former teacher and now an educational consultant for a publishing company, said caring for the dogs motivated her and kept her moving, even on the hardest days.

"And I wouldn't have made it without this group," she said, explaining she is now cancer-free. "It was a long eight months, and these guys got me through it, that's for sure."

Blattstein said the dogs have done so much for her since she was diagnosed with lupus several years ago. At the time, she had her own medical practice as an obstetrician and gynecologist, but she had to give up her career.

"They know when I am feeling bad, and they come and they comfort me," she said of her dogs. "I get up and walk them because I have to walk them."

Huffman, who is president of the non-profit organization, said dancing with the dogs is a chance to celebrate the bond dogs and humans share.

Jazzy is the first dog Huffman has trained to dance, and she said she is amazed at the bond they share. "It's almost like they are part of you. It's hard to put into words," she said.

Huffman said teaching dogs through a rewards system of treats and praise makes them eager to learn more.

Blattstein agrees.

"This is all positive training; everything is positive. We're not a dance troupe and we're not a circus act," she said.

Another local dog freestylist is Loren Jensen-Carter, who became passionate about the sport about five years ago when a friend happened to send her a video.

Jensen-Carter already had a background in dance and dog training, so canine freestyle was a perfect fit.

She took a class in Los Angeles and went on to share her knowledge with other Tucsonans, including members of Tucson's Freestyle Club.

Jensen-Carter now competes nationally with her golden retrievers, Aloha and Mahalo, and also trains in Tucson, Phoenix, Las Vegas and San Diego.

People interested in taking one of her classes, either through the Humane Society of Southern Arizona or through private or small group lessons, need to have dogs that are well socialized, with some basic obedience training, she said.

"Really, this sport is for everybody," she said. "You don't have to be a dancer."

all areas

For more information

For more information on the Tucson Musical Canine Freestyle Club, visit www.tucsoncaninefreestyle.com/index.html. At this time, the group is not taking new members.

To learn more about canine freestyle classes offered through the Humane Society of Southern Arizona or to take private individual or group lessons, call Loren Jensen-Carter at 299-8600 or 906-9939, or e-mail her at lorenjc@bigplanet.com.

More information is available at www.k9freestylers.com.