“Wherever
a beautiful soul has been,
there remains a trail of beautiful memories.”
~ For Rookie Scott (January, 1993—August,
2008) ...
https://www.InspirationLine.com

Paralyzed
due to childhood polio at the age of four years, and additionally diagnosed with
a significant heart disorder, Carolyn Scott has suffered much physical and psychological
pain. Today, she suffers from the after effects of her initial polio and treatments,
evidencing Post Polio Sequelae. This has resulted in Carolyn's no longer competing
in the ring due to her diminished balance, which can result in falls. Yet, she
continues to be a world-recognized teacher of the relatively new sport of canine
freestyle dance, traveling the world and personally demonstrating and spreading
the joy that comes from participation in this sport. In turn, she has taken her
cues from a dog who, himself, has suffered from anxiety from his own fears of
the unknown. By bonding with her dogs and helping them live life to the fullest,
she has been able to tackle her own continuing challenges.

People
who see the Internet
clip (HERE) (Download
video once, for a smooth second viewing) of
Texas-born Carolyn Scott performing a song from "Grease" with her golden
retriever Rookie are riveted to the screen. Thousands have sent her e-mails,
many saying they cried with joy. They know they're seeing something special between
this woman and this dog as Rookie spins and grins at Carolyn in the canine freestyle
dance, but they can't quite put their finger on it. "They look at that
capacity for love and they want it," says Rochelle Lesser, a school psychologist
who is making a documentary film on Carolyn and Rookie. "They can't comprehend
anything that pure."

BUT
THEIR LESSONS IN LIFE ARE EVEN MORE POWERFUL! Carolyn was scarred by polio that
weakened her right side and damaged her self-confidence. She was shunned from
people's houses out of fear when she was 4 years old. As an adult, she grew too
afraid to leave her house without the support of her husband, her high-school
sweetheart.
Carolyn
Scott & Golden Rookie Montage: A 15 Year Partnership HERE

Carolyn's
first bond outside her family was with a collie. As an adult, she trained dogs
for obedience. But the handler must confine movement in obedience and Carolyn"wavered
in the wind." She was afraid of falling and embarrassing herself. And when
she got Rookie, she could see that obedience was too rigid for his fragile nature. In
1996, when he was 3, she introduced him to the new sport of canine freestyle dance,
a natural for him and for her. They won — or, as she says, "HE"
won — the first national competition in the off-leash division, a highlight
of her life. "It was a process of discovery," Carolyn says. "I
had no idea how much talent he had. I started watching him closely to see what
he enjoyed doing." She built his confidence by using a "clicker"
device that signals to the dog immediately that he's doing the right thing and
reward is on its way. She taught him spins, but he added throwing his feet in
the air and other moves that give him such verve. Though she's trying to keep
her balance, she lets him improvise. "Then I reward him like crazy. He
loves doing it."

Lesser,
who's making the documentary, says she also has a fearful dog but she accepts
the dog's limitations because she can't or won't put the hours in that Carolyn
did with Rookie. "Trust, me, when Carolyn had this fearful dog, this was
her life; she was devoted to overcoming this," Lesser says. "The
amount of hours she put into this would just amaze people. They just see the end
product." As
a consequence, there is no other team like them, Lesser believes. No team that
moves so much as one. She's hoping her documentary, "Gotta Dance," will
show that connection, raise money for canine oncology and deliver the message
that people don't have to stop enjoying life because of difficulties.

Carolyn
taught Rookie that life is a fun game. She gives him random rewards and lets him
play with people when they go out. "Of course, now he thinks that's what
they're there for. Both of our personalities have taken a change. He's
confident and enjoying life — just like I am." Carolyn said. "Unfortunately,
Carolyn can't be who she is right now without what she went through," Lesser says. "She's
just incredible. She has a real presence." Instead of telling herself
she's going to fall down and how frightened she is, Carolyn restructures her thoughts
to tell herself she's going to do a good job. If she falls down, it's OK. And
if she questions herself, she has only to look at Rookie, whose natural personality
was hidden under all that fear. "All of us walk around masquerading ourselves," Carolyn says. "We don't let ourselves be vulnerable."

You
can learn about Land
of PureGold Foundation's documentary film HERE that is based on this special union. The film celebrates the human-canine bond
and how it was critical in their overcoming adversity, given Carolyn’s polio
and more. It is being produced for fundraising purposes for working dogs and funding
research in comparative oncology, the study of cancers that occur similarly in
people and companion animals. The
special montage (below) is a tribute to the most unique 15-year partnership of
Carolyn Scott and her beloved Golden Retriever, Rookie. Arguably, the most famous
canine freestyle team in the world, Carolyn and Rookie’s love for one another
has been cheering millions through the many clips that have circulated over YouTube
since the famous routine was digitalized several years ago.

Little did they know
that posting of that video would bring so much joy to so many, actually even bringing
soldiers in Iraq to tears.

There
is a that Carolyn
and Rookie exude, as this film demonstrates the restorative miracles that can
abound through the embodiment of the human-canine bond. However, it is important
to understand that this documentary is NOT a story about canine freestyle. Rather,
it is a courageous story of inner strength and survival, as Carolyn continues,
in a sense, to dance for her life. See
More Videos of Rookie & A Sad Update HERE

~Excerpted
from an article by Sherry Stripling, Seattle Times