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CALDWELL — Local canine agility athletes and their handlers were joined by dogs from all over Idaho and neighboring states this month to compete in the Boise Agility Runners and Climbers annual November North American Dog Agility Council trials.
Dogs competed in tunnelers, jumpers, weavers, hoopers and regular agility events that included climbing A-frames, running the dog walk and working the teeter.
Included in the entries were a number of rescue dogs competing at all levels of ability from intro to elite divisions.
“Agility is a great activity for rescue dogs,” said agility trainer Donna Lee, who served as one of the coordinators for the event.
Lee owns and operates Q-Quest Agility in Nampa.
“It helps build a bond between owner and handler,” she said. “It also builds confidence in the dog.”
Lee understands rescue dogs.
“I had a rescue dog with many issues including separation anxiety,” Lee said. “I was watching TV one day, and I saw a show about dog agility. I thought I had to give it a try to help build confidence in our rescue dog, Bailey.”
Bailey did well in agility classes, and Lee decided the team should enter competitions. Lee and Bailey, who is now deceased, were so successful that they competed in the World Cynosport Games in 2006.
Last weekend, Lee competed with her rescue Cattle Dog, Mattie. She has competed with two other dogs since Bailey.
“Boomer was so easy to train, she spoiled me,” Lee said. “Then I decided I wanted a really fast dog.” That dog was a small Australian Shepherd named Graycee.
“Graycee is fast, but with the speed, you can have a loss of control,” Lee said. “She is an ‘E-ticket’ ride every run.”
Lee trains and competes with Graycee, but she decided to adopt another rescue dog.
“Now we have added Mattie,” Lee said.
Mattie’s skills are somewhere in between Boomer’s and Graycee’s.
“She doesn’t seem to have any real rescue issues other than her cattle dog attitude and getting overly excited when anything moves — including her handler,” Lee said. “I think it is very good that Mattie ended up with someone that is involved in dog sports. She needs a job or would find something undesirable to do in her spare time.”
Lee encourages people to try their dogs in agility.
“It helps the dog become more confident,” she said. “Agility builds a great bond between the dog and the handler as long as you have the right attitude and keep it fun. It is good mental and physical exercise for the handler as well as the dog.”
Jacquie Wakagawa and her dog Chazz, who trains with Lee at Q Quest, competed in last weekend’s trials. “Chazz is a border collie/Australian shepherd mix that we adopted from the Canyon County animal shelter,” Wakagawa said. “He would race around the yard and jump up tree trunks chasing squirrels. It gave me the idea that he might really like agility lessons.”
In fact, Chazz loved agility and became an accomplished competitor.
“I never intended to compete,” Wakagawa said, “but my instructor kept encouraging me to try entering trials. When Chazz and I had our first really good run, I was hooked.”
As far as competition goes, it’s an individual choice.
“Agility can fit the bill regardless of your competitive aspirations,” Lee said. “Competition at all the lower levels is you and your dog against the clock and not against other teams. And Idaho is a wonderful place where everyone supports and cheers for each other.”
A person can be as competitive in dog agility as they would like.
“There are titles to earn and points to gather so you can be invited to a national event,” she said. “It is very exciting to go to one of those, whether your goal is to make it into the finals or just to make it to the event.”
Originally published by the Idaho Press-Tribune. View at original site.