Hello all, welcome to WFHR's Rapids Report for this May 21st, 2025.
Have your host, James J. Maylove here, welcoming into the studio now.
Our friends from the Wisconsin Rapids Kennel Club, we have Melanie Wiltsy with us.
I almost got it.
Melanie, thank you very much for being here again.
Great to see you again.
Thanks for the time.
And we want to welcome Susan Faust with us.
Susan's first time with us.
Susan, thanks for being here.
Oh, thank you.
Thanks for having us.
I appreciate the time.
I will mention to the audience right out the gate, no journalistic integrity with this
segment.
We are talking dogs.
We are talking about some of my favorite topics with one of a wonderful organization.
So I'm going to be very like just moving out of the way and letting you guys talk most
of the time because if I do, I'm just going to ramble.
I am a big fan of what the Kennel Club is about and what's going on with there.
But I do want to note one thing before we dive too deep into the organization of what's
going on.
If you haven't been paying attention, one of the more popular things that four people
is or topics, I should say, is certainly how a community's economy is.
And an economy is one of the main talking points right now and almost any conversations
you're going to have, especially for rural and smaller communities like ours.
When it comes to one of the more go-to things as far as what's going to help the economy,
what is going to bring people to our community, keep people here, dogs.
It is the most consistent thing you see from west to east coast, north and down south.
Dog-friendly communities are thriving.
Dog-friendly areas are doing well.
I saw this when I was living out in California quite a bit and I thought it was kind of
a fad to be honest with you guys.
I love dogs, but I thought it was kind of like anything in society has its ups and downs.
That was almost 20 years ago and we're still seeing the consistency of that.
So when we're talking with the Kennel Club today and we encourage you to get your dog
a part of it and be a part of all the events and even if you don't have a dog coming to some
of the events with it that we'll tell you about in a little bit, I want everybody to keep
in the back of their mind, the front of their heart, the economic impact an organization
like this has on our community and how important it is and how we need an organization like
this.
It is not only a fun organization with a lot of great things and activities for our community
and our members of our community and certainly for our furry friends, but the economic impact
it makes because again, you want to keep people in your community.
You want to keep kids who are graduating high school and keep them in town.
Some of these things, the most consistent thing we're seeing is not low taxes or no taxes.
It's not even jobs, it's dogs, it's being animal friendly.
So what you guys are doing is fun is great, but I also want the community to keep that in mind
that there is an economic impact you guys are making that is felt and noted and appreciated.
Just out the gate, wanted to get that off my chest, make sure that that's noted because
I appreciate what you guys are doing and I want to get into what the organization is
about.
If you don't mind and Susan, I think you're going to lead us off on that.
We're going to put you on the spot right away.
All right.
Thank you.
Yeah, we do offer a lot of things.
Our club, we've been serving our community for about 50 years now and basically our goal
is to help the people, give them the tools to help them train their dogs so they can
be out in the community.
I love bringing my dog everywhere I go.
You know, so if I'm going to coffee now that it's summertime, a lot of open patios, it's
great to bring the dog as long as he's well-behaved.
So with the help of the Kennel Club, we really did that.
So and again, a well-behaved dog I think is loved by all, they're cute and it gives
good conversation.
It's really important too as we're getting more and more to be of a dog friendly societies
and up and down, you know, we're seeing this all over the country that, you know, we
also not just let the dogs be dogs.
It would be nice and it's, you know, there's certain things that I, they certainly can't
be helped.
The dog is going to bark.
There are certain things but there are so many things that dogs are really, their brains
are waiting for.
Their brains appreciate some routine that they thrive on it.
They're not that different than humans in that regard.
You know, they need those kind of structure.
It could be very important for a dog and almost a relief for a dog in some ways.
So these things go all hand in hand with the other things we're talking about and certainly
showing the importance of why having a Kennel Club in your community, it goes so far.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It really helped me.
My dog is not the active dog but he turned out to be, I took a dog therapy class and
then we passed the test and it's great when I bring them out in the community.
The kids love it.
Everybody loves it.
Older people.
So that's what we're trying to do is kind of really get the dogs out there.
So we offer the puppy classes.
We offer older obedience class.
So if you get a dog that's six months, nine months old, we still can do the obedience
class dog therapy class, which my dog went through also good citizenship.
And again, it kind of teaches you what to do when you are out in the community with
your dog.
If your dog does start to bark, some of the strategies to kind of distract them or if
the dog is getting nervous, what you should be looking for with your dog.
Agility classes, I think is fantastic.
That is a lot of fun.
My dog didn't really do well, but I think it was a good connection between the two of
us.
Got to read the dog a little bit more.
We have our fast cats.
We have fly ball, confirmation.
What else do we have?
That's a, those are the classes that we offer.
So if you go on our Facebook page, you can also come to our Monday meetings.
The first Monday of every month at seven o'clock, you can bring your dog as long as it's
a little well behaved, put them on a leash.
We always have snacks.
I think that's where everywhere we go, we seem to have food oriented.
We have a door prize, come in, beat everybody.
If you want to become a member, it's $25 for the year that goes towards a class if you
want to take it.
And it's, I think it's a great place to socialize your dog.
So if your dog is a little skittish, you come to one of our meetings, it's quiet.
Everybody's there.
Some people bring dogs, some people don't.
And then you can kind of say, yeah, he's a little skittish around man, or he's a little
skittish around.
Loud noises.
We can work on that.
And we have great food at the meetings.
Oh, yeah.
Melon is good at this.
Yeah, that's a good one to bring up.
Great people food at the meetings.
Yes.
We're kind of outdoing ourselves every month, like if somebody has a meal.
It's like a meal.
Yes.
You wouldn't need to eat supper.
You could just come to the meeting.
That's what I had learned.
I don't eat supper.
I'm on the first Monday of every month and I just come here and, and there's sometimes
leftovers.
And we have programs, not every meeting, but sometimes like the veterinarian will come
and talk on some topic or a massage person, dog chiropractic.
We learn about different things at the meetings.
That's good.
Yeah.
We had a first-aid class.
So again, just simple things.
If your dog is choking or how to identify a heat stroke, we've done that.
We had paint your pets.
So you send a picture into this lady and she'll print it out and then come to the club
and have a lot of fun and you get a picture of your pet.
You guys offer a lot more than I think the average person that maybe doesn't know much
about kennel clubs, so that would not realize.
I really appreciate you breaking that down, getting into some of those things and keeping
mind everybody.
There is always other stuff going on as well that we don't always get a chance to get
to and stuff that encourage you to reach out and find out more about.
I want to ask real quick if you don't mind Susan putting you on the spot.
I mean, asking you a question, no, but how did you get involved with the kennel club?
It was during COVID, basically, and I got my COVID dog from the Mate Society.
And again, he was a little stubborn.
I've had dogs all my life, multiple dogs at times, but he turned out to be a very different
dog that I've ever had and I needed some help and so I went to the kennel club and joined
that and they're like, oh, get him in agility and he didn't do it.
Oh, get him into fly ball and he didn't do it.
Oh, get him into fast cat and he didn't do it.
So then one lady said, well, how about dog therapy and I'll give it a try and he's
fantastic.
So we found our niche and I just, you know, we still do the stuff with his dog with the
dog, but he's just not that well, thank you for sharing that one because that's just
interesting.
It's cool to hear it.
I'm happy to hear that that turn around for him and everything, but also I, you know,
we know that there are Melanie and I talked about this last time we were together.
We know that there are a number of listeners out there that again, I mean, I know much
about the kennel club and maybe are wondering if it's for them or would it be helpful to
them and their furry friend or something.
I think that story is a perfect example of why we want people to be a part of the kennel
club and join the team here and everything and bring your furry friend and enjoy it and
have some fun.
I want to talk, take some time to talk about the events and some of the great things
that they're that we have coming up, do you want to dive into that next?
Sure.
Well, our next event is fly ball that's coming up next weekend, the 30 of 31st and the
first.
If you don't know what fly ball is, look it up.
It's funny to watch the videos.
Oh, the videos are great.
It's really great to be in person.
So it's all our events are free, free parking, free admission.
Some events you can bring your dog, some of you events you can't.
I would not recommend bringing the dog to the fly ball one.
It's because it does get a little overwhelming.
It's indoors.
There's a lot going on.
There's a lot of dogs moving around.
Everybody's barking.
Yeah.
Yeah.
A lot of excitement because it is a relay race.
Yeah.
So they're racing over obstacles and they are fired up.
Yes.
I don't even blame the dogs.
I get overstimulated.
Even I can do it with those things.
I get it.
Yeah.
That's probably one of the few ones that I would definitely keep in mind as far as not
bringing down.
Right.
I encourage people that own dogs, maybe they don't bring the dog, but them to come down
and check it out though.
Definitely want to say that.
Yes.
So that would be great.
Just to kind of check it out, we're having our concession stand open on Saturday.
We have lots and lots and lots of raffle baskets.
So a lot of different themes.
It's not just all dog themes.
There's a lot of different themes for the raffle baskets.
It's also neat too.
If you don't know what kind of dog you want to get or if you have a second, if you're
thinking to get a second dog, come and meet them.
Come and see these kinds of dogs.
There's all different kinds of dogs.
Maybe when they're done racing, you can always approach somebody and say, hey, can I ask
about this breed?
And what do you like about it?
And what do you don't?
I wouldn't even thought of that.
That's a great point.
People love to talk about their dogs and you can meet them right then and there.
Again, you're going to meet a lot of our members there.
So if there's any questions that you have, come and meet us and give us a talk and we'll
talk with you and you know, I would probably check it out on Saturday.
And then if you think, yeah, your dog can probably handle the noise and everything.
You can always come back on Sunday, but that event I probably would not bring the dog.
I would say that Friday, almost all day, we'll be setting up.
There'll be a few races Friday night, but that's probably not the best time to come either
if you want to really experience the whole atmosphere Saturday or Sunday.
We'll have a team, fly balls, a team sport.
There are always four dogs running in the relay and normally a team will have six or seven
dogs and they treat, they trade out dogs, but we'll have teams from all over the Midwest
who will come to Wisconsin Rapids to run dogs in the hockey rink.
It's so fun.
It's such a great atmosphere.
So really, I'm glad you brought that up about the people from out of town coming into.
This is another, again, tie into the economic part where I started with this and the importance
of that part and just the fun part of this, too, of, you know, the port, not only us as
people, but I think about this all the time.
The first time I got to do something like this, I worked in a number of shelters and volunteered
at a couple when I was in California and over in Illinois.
And one of the things that they did at one of the shelters was bringing some of the people
that host these to the shelter and the dogs got to do some of the activities.
And I got to top my head, I'm getting emotional because I'm thinking about a couple of the
older dogs that were there that we had, they had kind of resigned to, that that's where
they were going to live the rest of their life.
And it's this whole other topic that's very sad to me and everything, but those moments
when those people were there and they cannot, they, we are opening up that, they local,
Decalve Kindle Club came by and we were talking with them and the dogs, they look like they
were five years old again.
They look like they were puppies again, the energy, the excitement they had, dogs that
I had been around for months and I had to get them to want to take a walk with me and
all of a sudden I didn't know you had to in that big boy, I didn't know you still had
that in them and things and it was so cool, it's something to keep in mind with your
dog and dogs in general that I get a little tired of the, you can't teach an old dog
new tricks.
Now the dog wants to learn, it's more usually the owner, it's more so the person sometimes
it doesn't want to necessarily do those things.
If you are able to meet your dog halfway, you guys can have some fun, you can, you know,
make those, those later years, it's just as exciting and energetic as ever.
In the Kindle Club I think is a great opportunity to learn more about that and get your dog involved
in those things.
Other events going on too, did we touch on all of them because I know you guys got a lot
going on.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But I, I'm going to do a, a quick back here on, so I think a lot of reasons why people
come to our events or our fly ball and our fast cat mainly because of Melanie because
she makes fantastic rosettes.
Oh, yeah, that's a good reason.
That's good.
Honestly, she makes probably one of the better rosettes that I've ever seen.
We just had a fast cat a few weekends ago and I'm hearing people coming from Wakasha,
Green Bay, lacrosse, just because they knew that their dog was going to trial and they
wanted their dog to have Melanie's rosettes, so a great shout out.
She does a lot of work.
She puts in a lot of time effort and making those.
Yeah, we appreciate it.
We appreciate Melanie.
Let's touch on some of these events again and other coming up.
So like I said, we're having fly ball at the end of May.
Then we are having a great big shout out to Mickey's tip up, Elton Kellner.
Thank you.
He is going to be supplying the venue and he's going to supply the bands.
So it's the fourth Saturday of every month of June, July and August.
Again, he's going to let us do the Brought Fry.
So our Kennel Club cooks and bakers will be there.
So we'll be selling food and baked goods.
We're going to have raffle baskets, 50, 50 dog demos.
We sell amazing pup cups.
It's not just the cool whip.
It's actual food.
Yeah, the pup cups.
Bring your dog, bring a chair.
We're going to have great music, great food.
And again, you can learn a little bit about some of our dog demos and kind of be part
of the group.
It's a great place.
If it's a Saturday, you don't want to leave your dog at home, but you still want to go
out.
This is a great place to bring your dog and socialize.
It's a great thing to bring up right there.
That latter part is a big one.
I think a lot of people are experiencing.
And again, one of those things are, you can get as you get as into this as you'd like
and also take it in as you like.
I don't know that there's some people who are going to be very, you know, take this
very serious or get really dive into it.
And then there's going to be people that are here some weeks and some weeks they may
not be.
It all, especially this time of year with, you know, some are pulling us in all these
different directions and everything.
So that's understood by the Kennel Club.
That's understood.
No, no expectation on anybody as far as all the events you showed up to or something
along those lines.
Right.
Right.
And I just think it's nice because again, it's your dog out there, get some socialize.
I think the more you equate your dog to things, they're not going to be so skittish, which
is kind of a good thing.
And maybe if they are skittish of something, the more you socialize them, maybe they
won't look at you as to it.
Some dogs, you just can't, you know, they're just knackered of, do well in certain situations.
But then, you know, at least you as the dog owner know that.
Well, and that's the only way you find out, you know, this is one of those things you can't
necessarily take a blood test for or something.
You've got to do it in real time and really get them out there to be able to experience
that.
It's like, it's like the children, you know, you're always trying different sports, different
hobbies, different, whatever, to find out what it is they're really gifted in.
Yeah.
And you might find that, but you, they've also learned a little bit about a lot of things.
Right.
And that makes them a more well-rounded person.
And the dog is the same way.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And also, just like a dog, it's a lot of energy out of them, which really appreciate
as a parent.
So, and also, this comes into play with animals too, because, you know, some of us,
some people out there with younger dogs are puppies in that and you're, you're trying
to figure out ways to get that energy out of their system.
And here's another great opportunity for that.
And I know what I'm talking about with this one, because that's how I experience kennel clubs
and everything for the, they, as a dog owner, I should say, I had a little guy, a little
terrier, Gonzo, who I just did not have the energy.
I like, I could hang with him for the most of the day, but at night, he would, he was
still going.
And I, like, I felt bad.
We started getting him running and doing all these things.
He's sleeping before I am.
He's, you know, this helps.
It can go a long way.
Well, and in some dogs too, like my dog, he is not a very active dog.
But for his brain, I have to do a lot of brain work with him.
So taking him places, letting him smell different things, introducing him to different people,
that's what gears him down.
He's not a runner.
So I even take him to the Wisconsin Rapids dog park all the time, 90% of the time he's
sitting in under the shade, and I'm doing the lap.
But for him, he has to work his brain.
So different dogs.
So again, if you come to the vents, bring the dog.
It might not be physical, but it'll be a mental stimulation.
And some dogs really respond to that as well.
Any other event you wanted to touch on before we wrap up?
No, we do.
So we have the Mickey's tip up, June, July and August.
And then we have our fly ball.
Oh, no, I'm wrong.
I have to talk about fast care.
Yes, we have to talk about the fast cat.
OK, so coming up next weekend, fast cat is in August, the first, second, and third.
It's going to be out at the Country Paws and Canine Resort, Oaton Stevens Point.
Again, we're going to have food, pub cups, bring a chair, bring your dog.
Again, Melanie is fantastic, Rose, that's right there.
And she kind of pretty much runs that.
So most people want to know what's the cat stand for when you're talking to both dogs.
The cat stands for coursing ability trial.
And fast cat is the fastest AKC growing sport right now because it really requires no training.
Any dog likes to chase, almost every dog.
And the coursing ability trial, the fast version of it is 100 yards straight dash chasing
a grocery bag, a white plastic grocery bag on the end of a rope, which they keep ahead
of the dog and the dog's time is measured.
And it's an individual sport.
So your dog's accumulating points and at a certain point level, they get an award.
So you're not competing against other dogs, your dogs get to do something most dogs love,
which is chase.
Some people are really into it and like by raccoon pelts to put on the end of the rope for
the other dogs actually chasing something with for our fast cat this past couple weeks ago.
Our top dog ran at 36.815 miles per hour.
And that was a whip it.
And that was something to see like Blink and he's done with 100 yards.
So there's a lot of people who get started in dog sports doing one like fast cat where
there's really no training.
We had fun runs for local people for five dollars.
They could come.
They don't get points or anything, but their dog could try it.
So you can pay five dollars and kind of get a couple training and decide, hey, maybe
I'll actually enter.
It's open.
Your dog does not have to be a pure bread.
AKC has a thing now where you can actually register a mixed breed dog so they can compete
in AKC events and also win or earn titles.
Its country paws canine athletic center just east of Stevens Point and she also has dog
diving there.
She has a big pool and that happens the same weekends as our fast cat.
If your dog is one of those you go to the lake and they run down the dock and they jump
out into the lake, they're already trained to do dog diving.
Yeah.
It's good one.
A lot of fun stuff going on.
We have our bakers and our food and we had a great time.
I cannot wait to remind the audience about each one of these events as we get closer
to only promoting them on our shows and talking about them and I know for a fact that there
are some people out there listening that are now intrigued to be a member that want
to join.
If they want to find out more and be a part of things, we'll get you the information
and how you can do that in a second.
But I do want to talk about just real quick as we're wrapping up, some of the needs the
club has and what we're hoping to do because as I brought up earlier and I started this
for a reason, the conversation about economics for a reason, as much as I love dogs and
I just want to talk about dogs and how much I love them.
We all do.
But the importance of this organization and helping them in any of these events that
you can because even if you're not a part of the, you know, part of the Kennel Club,
you can show up at these events and help them raise funds to keep this club healthy and
going.
I know that you guys have some club needs in particular that you wanted to touch on before
wrapped up.
So I just wanted to bring that up before we get done here today.
We've been working on making improvements on our building, which is in Port Edwards on
the main street.
The post office next to us is closed at the moment.
Well, it's closed as a post office forever.
In our building, we've done a lot of work, but there's still work to do, needed a lot
of repairs.
The seals were all broken on our windows.
We've had our windows replaced.
They look beautiful now.
They're not just a foggy mess.
We've updated all of our plumbing.
Our ductwork clean, there's just a lot of things to make our building better and more
inviting to come to and bring the dogs to.
So that's been, it's been a major future hope is to have an outside area.
Yes, we're hoping we might be able to buy the post office building, which is in tear
that building down and then we would have that for the year for an outside yard for summer
classes.
Well, and again, this organization is bringing economy into our community.
It's helping with that.
I think as a community, one of the things we can do is help you guys keep that building
and all the things you're talking about wanting to do with it and everything and make
this kind of club even stronger and more attractive to people and wanting to be a part of
it and everything.
We're all, everything's connected and we're all a team here in this community, in this
area.
The more we help each other out, a rising tide raises all boats, especially when we're
talking about dogs.
Again, this is one of the bigger things to bring in people to communities than that.
And certainly, there are people listening out there that are a little like myself.
I love dogs.
I cannot, but I cannot have one right now with my apartment and the way I'm living and
stuff.
So I, me, I take any opportunity.
I can't be around dogs and all those things and volunteering is one of the ways you can
help out.
If people want to volunteer, if they want to become a member, just learn a little bit more
about the Wisconsin Rapids Chemical Club.
How can they do that?
What direction should we send them?
Well, they can come the first Monday of every month at seven o'clock and come and join
a meeting and see if you like it, talk to everybody.
You can look us up on Facebook and again, you probably give out the information.
Over email and or for a number come to any of the vents, start talking to any of us and
see how you feel of, you know, maybe you have questions about what kind of dog you want
to get or, you know, how often do you guys beat or what's involved becoming a member.
We also try to help out the humane society as much as we can.
So if you do decide to adopt a dog from there, you would receive a refund for the class,
or one of the obedience classes.
What a cool idea.
Oh, that's awesome.
I love that.
Again, try to help each other.
Yeah.
So if you do adopt a dog, bring him in and again, if you take one of the classes, we can,
you know, reimburse you for that class.
Again, it's just coming in one tour, come to one of our events, come to the meeting, talk
to us and you know, we're really open.
We love talking about dogs.
Yeah.
Of course, we all love talking about our own dogs, but you know, sometimes it's a little
overwhelming of what kind of breed to get or what should I get?
Should I go to the shelter?
Yeah.
Should I go with a, you know, mixed dog or peer bread dog?
So the Facebook page, I think, is a great way to reach out.
I have a phone number here, 715-887-3007, is that sound right?
No, no, that doesn't sound right.
No.
I was afraid of that.
If you have a phone number email, I'll let you go ahead and get those out there.
Do.
715-459-9808, and then our email is WRKC-Dogs at gmail.com.
And if you need that information again, please reach out to us here at the studios.
We'll make sure to get that to you.
And you can also reach out to them by liking their Facebook page.
Just type in your search bar, Wisconsin Rapids, Kennel Club, subscribe to the page and
keep up to date, and all the great things that they are doing over there.
Say hi to the rest of the team, guys, and us, of course, the dogs, say hi to the dogs
for me, of course.
Melanie Susan, thank you so much for joining us, looking forward to bringing you back real
soon.
Well, thank you.
And thank you for joining us out there, everybody.
We appreciate you being a part of the conversation here at WFHR's Rapids Report.
