Dog Scouts of America honors Milpitas dog Jasper

[Kadie]

Dog Scouts of America honors Milpitas dog Jasper
Steve Rubenstein, Special to The Chronicle

Saturday, October 16, 2010


At long last, the paperwork has gone through and the merit badges have been issued for Jasper, perhaps the most amazing dog in all Milpitas.

"Woof," said Jasper proudly, but not arrogantly.

There are a lot of good dogs in Milpitas, but only Jasper has the merit badges to prove it. Merit badges for dogs are the latest thing They are something like merit badges for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, only considerably harder to get your paws on.

Jasper is the first dog in the Bay Area to earn five merit badges from the Dog Scouts of America, which turns out to be a real organization that has quietly been issuing merit badges to deserving dogs for 11 years. The other day, it had a big ceremony for Jasper at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley, by invitation only. A half dozen of Jasper's pals were there, drooling at either the sight of the merit badges or the bowl of biscuits that was beside them.

snip...
"Woof," said Jasper. Jasper is a black-and-white dog of uncertain lineage that Verdahl, a hospital nurse, picked up last year from the pound. Over the past months, the two have plunged into the Michigan-based Dog Scouts of America program, which is just catching on in California. Plenty of other doggy outfits run dog award programs, but Dog Scout fans say the American Kennel Club is too snobby, the therapy dog program is too therapeutic and the certificates handed out at neighborhood obedience schools lack sufficient pedigree.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/10/16/DDEI1FPT18.DTL#ixzz12Z4aaDxI




Jasper is the only Bay Area dog to have earned five merit badges from the Dog Scouts of America. Atta boy!
Photo: Kirsten Aguilar / The Chronicle


Jasper is the only Bay Area dog to have earned five merit badges from the Dog Scouts of America. Atta boy!
Photo: Kirsten Aguilar / The Chronicle

[xchrom]

1. Awesomeness on 4 legs - good boy Jasper! Nt

[XemaSab]

2. Best line:

"Disaster preparation is another dog merit badge, although some might say that preparing for disaster is what you do before you get a dog."

[tblue37]

3. What an adorable face he has!