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Deanne Davenport holds her Jack Russell terrier Jordan. Both were featured on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' in a segment called Stupid Pet Tricks, where Jordan rode a skateboard.
Jordan rides her skateboard down a driveway. The terrier does several tricks and competes in agility competitions. |
OME DO IT for the sense of adventure. Others for bragging rights in one of the roughest sports around.
Jordan the Jack Russell terrier does it for the fish-flavored treats owner Deanne Davenport doles out as rewards.
"She's into food," Davenport said of her beloved pet, whose skateboarding skills landed the pair a recent spot on Stupid Pet Tricks, the animal-centered segment on "The Late Show with David Letterman."
"Very impressive," Letterman said after the petite 21/2-year-old pooch zoomed down a ramp while balancing on a board with four wheels.
Jordan sniffed out the show's bright lights and coiling wires offstage before getting down to business. But fans got to see her half-pipe feat twice, thanks to the "slow-mo cam" that captured the action.
The episode also aired the antics of a somersaulting umbrella cockatoo and a beer-fetching Doberman pinscher.
Davenport knew Jordan was a talented terrier. But the two were seeing stars last February, when they filmed the Letterman segment in New York, performed for Animal Planet's "Pet Star" in Los Angeles and taped a local commercial--all in less than three weeks.
"It was a really big whirlwind, but it was fun," said Davenport, a 36-year-old Web designer who runs Aquarius Design & Marketing from her home in the Chancellor area of Spotsylvania County.
Their stint on "Pet Star," a program that showcases critters' quirky talents, debuted last month. Davenport hopes the channel will begin rerunning the episode soon.
The commercial, where Jordan wags her tail and lands a bone from a friendly teller at Union Bank & Trust's drive-through window, currently airs on local cable channels.
Davenport co-stars, driving the car and delivering a single line. The bank's ads in The Free Lance-Star also are scheduled to feature the pair.
The dog-owner connection got off to a slow start, when the purebred pup snubbed her potential owner at their first meeting.
Jordan "kind of wandered off and did her own thing," Davenport said of her initial look at the litter reared by Spotsylvania breeder Jessica Westbrooks.
"It did actually take a while to develop the relationship I have with her."
Davenport, who grew up training neighborhood mutts, preaches the virtues of positive reinforcement instead of punishing unwanted behavior.
She rewards desired acts with the snap of a hand-held clicker. New toys, exhilarating activities and praise serve as prizes, as well. But nothing motivates Jordan like the promise of a meaty morsel.
"She would eat until she popped," Davenport said.
With one ear folded down like the flap of an envelope and one standing at attention, the cuddly canine tracks Davenport's every move.
"She's a very intense little dog," Davenport said. "She doesn't have an 'off' button."
The pair first mastered traditional tricks, like sit, speak and roll over, then moved on to more challenging feats. Jordan can play dead, wave with her right and left paws, and sneeze on cue when Davenport says, "Bless you."
But dog and owner were instantly drawn to the Star Wars skateboard that animal trainer Audrey Ferrel pulled from her big blue box of tricks.
"They just jumped on it," said Ferrel, who owns Best Behavior Dog Training in Spotsylvania.
The three started working together last summer, and Ferrel has been dazzled by the karma between Davenport and her adorable dog.
"It's not so much Jordan as it is the combination of Jordan and Deanne," Ferrel said. "They've got it."
Jordan also competes in agility trials, along with Davenport's older Jack Russell terrier, Guinness. They travel the East Coast from Pennsylvania to Georgia to jump hurdles, tear through tunnels and tackle obstacles.
Guinness, who will turn 7 later this month, holds a collection of titles. Jordan, who has claimed a few of her own, is just getting started on the agility circuit.
All this canine clout has led to a couple of darned spoiled dogs.
"They're my kids," said Davenport, who lets Jordan and Guinness snooze beneath the covers of her bed.
A toy chest bulges with doggie playthings. Birthdays mean steak dinners or a trip to Dog Dayz in downtown Fredericksburg.
Jordan, who sports a sparkling floral collar and pitter-patters when she walks, even has her own wardrobe, complete with a cozy winter coat.
"She can be a little Miss Priss when she wants to be," Davenport said.
She wouldn't have it any other way.
"I'm very attached to Jordan," she said. "She's just the best little dog that I could have ever gotten."
