Meet Lise Strum of Agapé Ranch Dog Sports

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lise Strum.

Lise, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We wanted to do more with our lives. We wanted to give back to our community. We wanted to serve God in a bigger way. We were happy in our predictable lives in the San Diego Suburbs and felt like we were being called upon to do more. We sold our home and moved to Valley Center, CA. A year after we got here we heard about a dog training facility that was available and bought it. Our goal has been to raise money for the different causes we hold dear. Last year we chose The United States War Dog Association and The Ddamian Project as recipients of funds, dog food and help with medical bills.

These charities serve wounded military (people and dogs). We hope to heat the pool this year so that we can do canine rehab to hopefully include retired and working Police and Military Service Dogs. This year we are also adding Woof Project Malinois Rescue to our list of supported charities. Agapé is also made available to San Diego Sheriff Search and Rescue to use for their searches and training of their dogs. We love what they are doing and they are volunteers! This year we will award the 2nd annual Agapé Tradition of Love and Service Award to a local person that is just going above and beyond in an effort to serve the human/dog community.

We will sponsor two new dock diving teams and help with their training, conditioning and competing. So much going on!! Our grand opening was in 2017 and our first North America Diving Dogs/AKC Dock Diving event was the 17th – 19th of March. It was a HUGE success. We built our dock with ramps instead of stairs so that anyone could use it. I had been to several dock diving events where I observed people in wheelchairs sitting on the sidelines and I thought we have to make it possible for them to play too and they have!! We produced many events in 2017 which included dock diving, agility IPO, Scent Work, and AKC obedience.

This year we have grown to 40 booked events … WOW. We are doing the events mentioned above this year as well and have added UpDog disc competitions and Agapé Games which is a triathlon for dogs. It includes dock diving, K9X Racing and UpDog toss and fetch. We are doing our first event with HopeDogs. They train special dogs to be paired with special needs kids to compete in a frisbee dog competition. We are hosting Low Rider Races for Dachshunds, Corgis, and Basset Hounds. This is a fundraiser for one of our locals Lazy Dog Rescue. There will be vendors, great people and dogs and food.

What a journey this has been it all started with one dog who would take us on the ride of our lives. Who would have thought one dog could change the course of our lives so much? Without Vhoebe (VB) we would not have our current home, business, friends and opportunity to serve in a more impactful way. Vhoebe has been and continues to be a gift. From the first time she ever jumped off of a dock, it was clear that this was her calling, (she broke her first records there). She has many world records (30+ feet) to her name and we have traveled all over the country competing and making friends. She has certainly done her share of fundraising, especially for Team 21 Down Syndrome Support and Research. We now have her niece Eloise and she reminds me so much of her Auntie Vhoebe.

To have a dog so closely related to V is amazingly comforting. On the 14th of November 2017, I traveled to Santa Rosa to pick up a puppy from Loups du Soleil Working Malinois. This is the same kennel I got VB and Eloise from.

She is another V litter puppy. I named her Vashni a name that means: The Second (my second V litter pup), Changed (my first V litter pup changed everything) and A Tooth (Mals like to bite things). A perfect name I think. Eloise and Vashni will carry on the tradition of Agapé love and service. They have big paw prints to fill but I know they will be up to the challenge. ARDS Team Jump Like A Girl will be a presence in the competition arena! Vhoebe is 9 now and she is still jumping in the Elite division (most of the time) I could not be happier. I want her to jump as much as she can because it is her happy place. Her other interests include Frisbee and counter surfing, she excels at each. Once in a while, a dog comes along and changes everything.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
When we first arrived in Valley Center we bought the piece of land that we now live on. We thought we would do the training center here on this land. Let’s just say that didn’t work out in a big way. It’s ok though. As we waited and wondered if we had really heard God’s calling our faith grew and it all worked out for the best

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Agapé Ranch Dog Sports story. Tell us more about the business.
We are most proud of our goal to give back with what we receive. Yes, we want to do this to make our lives and the lives of our family better but it is so much more than that.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in luck. I believe in the power of prayer. I believe in love and hard work. I believe this is a great country and that I can thrive here if I work at it. I believe in setting a goal reaching it and setting another goal.

Contact Info:

• Address: 26417 North Lake Wohlford Road,
  Valley Center CA 92082
• Website: www.agaperanchdogsports.com
• Phone: 619/857-7669
• Email: lise@agaperanchdogsports.com
• Instagram: Agapé Ranch Dog Sports
• Facebook: @agaperanchdogsports

Image Credit:
Keith Leo Photography, my husband Scott,  Jen Havens, Tamandra Michaels and James Wall

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