Riptide

Sponsored by A Clendenning

Riptide is big. He’s long, he’s wide, and turns out his shaggy fluffy puppy coat is turning into a shaggy fluffy adult coat. As a puppy, Rip was one of the least sure of the group of new people and new things. ‘Least sure’ being a relative term, as the entire Jersey Shore litter are a fairly fearless and tough bunch. 

Riptide’s personality is cool water under my hands, a still pool running deep, a serious honest integrity that is all their mother Aurora. He seems to have inherited a different and lesser degree of their father Zippo’s crazed energy, he’s not in constant motion like the rest of his family. There are no running into trees, other dogs, or myself like when I’m on the trail with his siblings who, literally, can’t stop. Riptide has a degree of self control and self awareness. It’s a refreshing change from the insanity of his littermates.

This is true when spending time with Rip in the yard, where the rest of the family attacks you with their paws, Riptide is respectful and distant. If invited, he will lean against your leg, or his preferred way of getting love and attention which is with his front paws on his platform and his chest against yours. Riptide is my favorite to harness of his siblings, as he stands so calm and serious like his mom. At the end of the run, Riptide quietly walks directly back to his house and waits on his platform to be deharnessed and hugged. I often forget about Riptide at his house, and ‘remember’ about him when I do chores after the run and he’s sitting at his house, fully harnessed and patiently waiting.

In the team, Rip is the easiest and most invisible of his siblings. He runs in all positions and over time I think will develop into a leader, with more time in point and the front end to build his comfort with being that far ahead. He has been running in the back end of the team, where he can learn about racing without the pressure of being towards the front end. Riptide is worth waiting for. A sweet and loving boy, everyone loves Riptide and Riptide loves everyone.

Rip has grown into a beautiful leggy dog, with a look inherited from both his mom and dad’s lineage to the Zorro dogs of Lance Mackey. Rip’s only weakness is that he has a taste for rocks, never (yet) to the point of needing surgery but on the safe side he is on stall mats and platforms.

Born: 7/26/2019

Aurora (Stielstra) x Zippo (Hendricks): Jersey Shore/ Lilliputians

Race Record:

2022
Wilderness 35: 1st Place
Open Class World Championship—Laconia: 8th Place

In coming up with the list of names for the Jersey Shore, ‘Riptide’ was one of the names suggested by my sister Rachel. She insisted that concern about the riptide was something that was always reported by the lifeguard, something I never remembered, but at the same time my sister Rachel has always been the more anxious one and thus more likely to remember the warnings. As a side note, Rachel helped come up with the entire list of the Jersey Shore names. The Jersey Shore litter was named in memory of my cousin and godmother Suzy, who died the same night these pups were born after two years of fighting cancer. Suzy was a relentless cheerleader for me, and loved all the dogs, and took great pride in her Jersey Girl-ness.