Rags to riches in the American heartland

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Joshua Strang
  • National Air and Space Intelligence Center Multimedia Office
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) --  In the heart of southwest Ohio, 1st Lt. Heather Greatting's down time is spent with one of her best friends, Zoey. Their time together is marked by verbal commands of obedience and strenuous physical activity designed to produce speed, agility and perfection. The workout is enough to bring anyone to his or her knees, but not Zoey. With her tail wagging and a tongue-protruding smile on her mouth, this canine would gladly go another hour or more. 

Lieutenant Greatting is a space intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance systems Employment analyst with the National Air and Space Intelligence Center here. She trains and competes with Zoey, a nine-year-old Labrador retriever, in canine agility competitions around southwestern Ohio. 

"This is very rewarding to me" Lieutenant Greatting said. "I have watched a dog with seemingly no future and with every reason to hate the world because of her previous situation, become an inspiration to others." 

Zoey's roots stem from extremely harsh beginnings. 

"(She) spent six years in a ... puppy mill as breeding stock before being picked up by the Ohio Labrador Retriever Rescue Services located in Vandalia, Ohio," Lieutenant Greatting said. "The dogs are bred at least twice a year in horrible conditions and with no attention to breed standards. When the dogs quit producing large litters they are sold to rescues for a very low price.
 
"The puppies are then sold to local pet stores at a very expensive price." she said. "She has physical scars that show her abuse." 

The horrific conditions that led up to a chance encounter in an animal rescue building have blossomed into a lifelong union of love and companionship. 

"Agility helped to rehabilitate Zoey and create an amazing bond between us", said Lieutenant Greatting. "When I first got her, she was reserved and shell-shocked. Now she is completely a social dog. She loves life and her tail never stops wagging! She is my companion and inspiration. She motivates me to work out and comforts me when I am sad. She also helps me to get the word out about the abuse of puppy mills. I can tell them her story and hopefully stop one person from buying a puppy from the window of a pet store." 

Having left the hard life behind her, this underdog is now a champion. 

"Zoey started competing at the beginning levels after about a year of training in both obedience and agility", the lieutenant said. 

She holds United Kennel Club Agility 1 and 2 titles, as well as an American Kennel Club Standard novice preferred title.  She currently is working on all of the level 3 Canine Performance Event agility titles.
 
Besides being a competitor, this Labrador is also a teacher. Lieutenant Greatting said she has learned a lot from her companion. 

"Dogs teach me how to work with humans", she said. "If you are down or in a bad mood, dogs do not respond well to training. You can't hide your mood from your dog. Humans are the same way. They respond better to a positive leader and positive reinforcement rather than to negativity." 

She also said the dogs help teach patience. 

"They can't talk, so you have to learn the ways they communicate," she said. "In agility, Zoey responds to every movement of my body.   Learning to communicate with her helps me to understand that I may need to change the way I communicate with others around me to get a better outcome." 

Lieutenant Greatting also commented that agility and obedience can be trained to just about any canine. 

"You don't have to have a dog bred to do agility to compete and have fun!  They can start at any age" she said. "Above all, Zoey is proof that it is possible to teach an old dog new tricks." 

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