UltimatePetWebsites ~ DON’T BUY Advice

About three months ago I contacted this group, who’d been doing some strong email spam marketing of their service… to do some website development for me. I pictured (being an optimist) a young, creative and energetic development staff that could transform my best imaginings into a clever, clean and crisp web site presence.

I promptly shelled out something like $700 for what I presumed to be an introductory development project (I have lots of projects on the imagining board).

Sometimes there’s a downside to being an optimist. After two months of back and forth communications with the developer, he did one bit for me and managed to get my instructions exactly backwards; while offering up this bland and unimaginative boiler-plate presentation. I spoke to him on the phone one day. He told me he had 150 projects on his desk. Really?

Finally I decided to pull the plug on the project (for non-performance). I called them to give the news. I got a run-around… basically they decided that I had committed to pay them for work they never did and wouldn’t do very well if and when they did do it. I just consider it stealing. I have ethics from another century, to be sure.

I spent another month trying to get in touch with their account manager. I got a number of promises that she’d get back to me promptly. But it was all a lie.

The bottom line on UltimatePetWebsites: Save your money… go to a talented high school kid to do your web development. I’m happy to provide a solid review of UltimatePetWebsites for every search engine in cyberspace.

Note1: This group appears to be a subsidiary of AmazingPetExpos.com; another bit for search engines.

Note2: Their web site purports them to the official web designers of the Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partners website. Good on Karen. I just wanted to make sure anybody doing a web search on Karen Pryor also reads my review of her web developers. Sorry Karen.

Obscure Challenge

It seems nearly fruitless to design a challenge that maybe 5 guys in the whole world have the equipment to repeat. But if you don’t happen to have a tunnel crossover… you can use your old four-legged crossover contact obstacle. Now, we’re up to 12 guys in the whole world.

This is intended to be run as a Minuet (when done, repeating from the beginning, over and over until the end of time).  The short sequence gives the dog practice making nearly perpendicular entries into the weave poles.

For most of us, the more problematic entry is from the entry side (nearly perpendicular, you’ll recall). When making the approach from the off-side most dogs will have the sense to wrap the first pole. But when making the approach from the entry side many dogs will be inclined to find a couple different options for the entry.

This is an excellent opportunity to do some dog training, rewarding the dog for a complete job. In our own classes we’ll be inclined to put wire between poles #2 and #4 to reinforce the correct entry; at least with the more novice dogs.

Using the tunnel-crossover in training is a bit problematic. It’s a huge space hog. This is one of many sequences I designed around the hog. The opening bit #1 through #4 is its own special riddle. How do you manage the #2 to #3 threadle? [Answer: Probably not a threadle at all.]

Bud’s Google-proof Trivia Contest

In the 16^th century European military forces used an interesting bomb that was a bell-shaped thing filled with gunpowder that was to be attached to a wall or gate and then exploded. What is special expression reserved for someone who gets blown up while setting it up? Also, what is the meaning of the French word from which it is derived?

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Questions comments & impassioned speeches to Bud Houston BudHouston@hughes.net. The Country Dream web store is up and running. www.dogagility.org/newstore.