Sport Dog of the Week: Raven the All American
Raven the Labrador mix is one fast dog — her Fast CAT personal best is just 7.5 seconds!
Photo courtesy of Sabrina
Raven came from a breeder advertising on Craigslist. Sabrina, Raven’s owner, had been looking for a service dog prospect when she saw the litter ad. Because Sabrina hoped to use Raven for service work, the breeder donated the puppy to her.
Sabrina says that she and Raven “instantly clicked” and today, they work as a team in both sports and diabetic service work. One of Sabrina’s proudest moments as a dog owner was the day she realized that Raven really enjoyed being a service dog and “wholeheartedly wanted to work”.
Like many Labs and Lab mixes, it’s no surprise that Raven has high prey drive, especially for birds. That high prey drive has resulted in a love of Fast CAT and CAT.
Photo by Charlotte With Dogs
Raven has earned her Canine Good Citizen, Novice Trick Dog, BCAT, and DCAT titles. She’s a talented dog with a good nose on her, so Sabrina hopes to start barn hunt and scent work soon.
Photo courtesy of Sabrina
I am partial to Raven because I love when dogs come up to me to say hello while I’m photographing a Fast CAT event. Raven is one of those special pups who refuses to finish a run before coming over for some love from her favorite photographer (not that I’m bragging or anything!).
Sabrina’s biggest piece of advice for beginners to dog sports: have fun. It might seem scary at first, but take a deep breath and relax because what’s really important is having fun with your dog.
One last fun fact about Raven: make sure you have a banana on you in case you run into her. Bananas are Raven’s favorite treat!
Keep up with Sabrina and Raven @raven_servicepup on Instagram and Tik Tok!
