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CNN Sunday Morning
Interview With Leonard Chase
Aired February 08, 2004 - 08:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, they are loyal and they are loving, and they often make for some steady relationships. But we are not talking about family members. Well, they're family members to some. Of course we are talking about pets, and how you can find one of your own. And here with more on how to fetch a pet is Leonard Chase. He's with Pet Fest, and a producer and trainer with the super dogs who perform it at Pet Fest.
And that was Twist and Shout that I was holding, who is an incredible athlete, you say, right?
LEONARD CHASE, PET FEST IAMS SUPER DOGS: Well, Twist and Shout is a Collie, and in the super dog show he's just a great, great athlete, with lots of comedy.
CALLAWAY: And Pet Fest is sponsored by The Humane Society, and you travel around the country and present information for people on animals, and then you also have an incredible show with these animals here, these athletes.
CHASE: Well, that's exactly it. Our most important goal is to show the bond between humans and animals and education on nutrition and training. And then we have entertainment with the super dogs. And the super dogs shows is almost a cross between the Harlem Globetrotters and Disney on Ice.
CALLAWAY: Was that Twist and Shout running through the obstacle course there in that video? That was great.
CHASE: Yes. Well, they are great athletes. First of all, these dogs are fabulous athletes, and over 60 percent of them have been adopted by The Humane Society.
CALLAWAY: Wow.
CHASE: So if anyone's ever looking for a great pet, go to The Humane Society and look for a great dog. Because they can all be super dogs.
CALLAWAY: They have been so good in the studio. Look at them sitting there.
Now, tell us a little bit more about what else is at Pet Fest besides the super dogs. There's all kind of information for people that are looking to adopt an animal. And we can't stress how important that is to find out which kind of animal is best for you, right?
CHASE: Oh, it's very important to pick the right dog or the right cat. And obviously, if you have a small apartment, you can get a small dog.
CALLAWAY: Right.
CHASE: But the most important thing when have you a dog is always challenge them. Have them do things. Have them being involved. I always say that like having a pet or having a dog is like you are talking to another species, you are actually communicating with another species. And it's just a wonderful, wonderful event when you get to talk to another species.
CALLAWAY: Now, do people have a lot of questions about what animal they are going to be able to find at a humane society? I think people always think that the best, well behaved animal is going to be a pure bread. But that's not necessarily the case.
CHASE: No. I mean, when you have -- first of all, when you get a dog, you have the dog. The dog is going to take you on right away. You are the one. The dog is going to love you.
So when you go to The Humane Society, look for the dog that appeals to you the most...
CALLAWAY: Right.
CHASE: ... that you can see it in their eyes. They want to be with you.
CALLAWAY: Right.
CHASE: You know, I can't walk through The Humane Society without wanting to take 10 or 20 home.
CALLAWAY: And you have to pick them up, hold them, and get whoever you bond with, right?
CHASE: And they're going to bond immediately. A dog knows that he wants to be adopted. Dogs want to be with humans. So they are going to bond with you immediately.
And then you need to go out and train them. The most important thing is train your dog.
CALLAWAY: Yes, but these dogs are super trained. Now, how many hours do you spend on training these?
CHASE: Well, all these dogs belong to individual trainers. Everyone owns their own dogs in the super dog troop. So we have over 300 dogs and 150 trainers. And they live at home with their trainers, and they work their dogs two or three times a week to get them up to standard.
CALLAWAY: Right. I have to say, though, one of the biggest dilemmas with me as a parent when I think about getting a new dog, it's just the training of it, trying to get it to go where it's supposed to go. And how do you go about doing that without spending a whole lot of money?
CHASE: Well, basically, you should go, take one course in the very beginning. Always take an obedience course.
CALLAWAY: Oh, really? Always?
CHASE: Just so you get the basics. I mean, if you have a dog that sits, stays, comes and heels, that's all you have to do. And then after that, if you wanted to do more training, like agility or fly ball, those types of events, those are sports.
CALLAWAY: Right.
CHASE: But the first thing, sit, come, stay and heel, you have a great dog.
CALLAWAY: But you know what? The Humane Society can probably give you some good ideas on where to go for some of that training, right?
CHASE: Certainly. And at Pet Fest America we're going to be across North America. We're here in Atlanta. We're going to St. Paul, Dallas, Washington, Columbus and Greenville.
And there's all this information at this particular show, where you can actually find out how to train your dog, how to adopt a dog, how to do good nutrition for your dog. These are the IAMS super dogs, and they are just a living example of how to work with your dogs.
CALLAWAY: Leonard Chase, thank you so much for bringing these animals. And you can't see this, but on the other side of the studio are all the trainers making the dogs stay.
CHASE: They look so perfect don't they?
CALLAWAY: Yes, they do, but there are trainers here. So they're not just sitting here because they like it. All right. Thank you very much, Leonard. And we'll be going to Pet Fest for sure.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 8, 2004 - 08:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, they are loyal and they are loving, and they often make for some steady relationships. But we are not talking about family members. Well, they're family members to some. Of course we are talking about pets, and how you can find one of your own. And here with more on how to fetch a pet is Leonard Chase. He's with Pet Fest, and a producer and trainer with the super dogs who perform it at Pet Fest.
And that was Twist and Shout that I was holding, who is an incredible athlete, you say, right?
LEONARD CHASE, PET FEST IAMS SUPER DOGS: Well, Twist and Shout is a Collie, and in the super dog show he's just a great, great athlete, with lots of comedy.
CALLAWAY: And Pet Fest is sponsored by The Humane Society, and you travel around the country and present information for people on animals, and then you also have an incredible show with these animals here, these athletes.
CHASE: Well, that's exactly it. Our most important goal is to show the bond between humans and animals and education on nutrition and training. And then we have entertainment with the super dogs. And the super dogs shows is almost a cross between the Harlem Globetrotters and Disney on Ice.
CALLAWAY: Was that Twist and Shout running through the obstacle course there in that video? That was great.
CHASE: Yes. Well, they are great athletes. First of all, these dogs are fabulous athletes, and over 60 percent of them have been adopted by The Humane Society.
CALLAWAY: Wow.
CHASE: So if anyone's ever looking for a great pet, go to The Humane Society and look for a great dog. Because they can all be super dogs.
CALLAWAY: They have been so good in the studio. Look at them sitting there.
Now, tell us a little bit more about what else is at Pet Fest besides the super dogs. There's all kind of information for people that are looking to adopt an animal. And we can't stress how important that is to find out which kind of animal is best for you, right?
CHASE: Oh, it's very important to pick the right dog or the right cat. And obviously, if you have a small apartment, you can get a small dog.
CALLAWAY: Right.
CHASE: But the most important thing when have you a dog is always challenge them. Have them do things. Have them being involved. I always say that like having a pet or having a dog is like you are talking to another species, you are actually communicating with another species. And it's just a wonderful, wonderful event when you get to talk to another species.
CALLAWAY: Now, do people have a lot of questions about what animal they are going to be able to find at a humane society? I think people always think that the best, well behaved animal is going to be a pure bread. But that's not necessarily the case.
CHASE: No. I mean, when you have -- first of all, when you get a dog, you have the dog. The dog is going to take you on right away. You are the one. The dog is going to love you.
So when you go to The Humane Society, look for the dog that appeals to you the most...
CALLAWAY: Right.
CHASE: ... that you can see it in their eyes. They want to be with you.
CALLAWAY: Right.
CHASE: You know, I can't walk through The Humane Society without wanting to take 10 or 20 home.
CALLAWAY: And you have to pick them up, hold them, and get whoever you bond with, right?
CHASE: And they're going to bond immediately. A dog knows that he wants to be adopted. Dogs want to be with humans. So they are going to bond with you immediately.
And then you need to go out and train them. The most important thing is train your dog.
CALLAWAY: Yes, but these dogs are super trained. Now, how many hours do you spend on training these?
CHASE: Well, all these dogs belong to individual trainers. Everyone owns their own dogs in the super dog troop. So we have over 300 dogs and 150 trainers. And they live at home with their trainers, and they work their dogs two or three times a week to get them up to standard.
CALLAWAY: Right. I have to say, though, one of the biggest dilemmas with me as a parent when I think about getting a new dog, it's just the training of it, trying to get it to go where it's supposed to go. And how do you go about doing that without spending a whole lot of money?
CHASE: Well, basically, you should go, take one course in the very beginning. Always take an obedience course.
CALLAWAY: Oh, really? Always?
CHASE: Just so you get the basics. I mean, if you have a dog that sits, stays, comes and heels, that's all you have to do. And then after that, if you wanted to do more training, like agility or fly ball, those types of events, those are sports.
CALLAWAY: Right.
CHASE: But the first thing, sit, come, stay and heel, you have a great dog.
CALLAWAY: But you know what? The Humane Society can probably give you some good ideas on where to go for some of that training, right?
CHASE: Certainly. And at Pet Fest America we're going to be across North America. We're here in Atlanta. We're going to St. Paul, Dallas, Washington, Columbus and Greenville.
And there's all this information at this particular show, where you can actually find out how to train your dog, how to adopt a dog, how to do good nutrition for your dog. These are the IAMS super dogs, and they are just a living example of how to work with your dogs.
CALLAWAY: Leonard Chase, thank you so much for bringing these animals. And you can't see this, but on the other side of the studio are all the trainers making the dogs stay.
CHASE: They look so perfect don't they?
CALLAWAY: Yes, they do, but there are trainers here. So they're not just sitting here because they like it. All right. Thank you very much, Leonard. And we'll be going to Pet Fest for sure.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
