Amy Jordan and her dog Selkie’s first time competing in an agility trial was under a literal rain cloud.
Neither Jordan, 38, nor her companion let that dampen their enthusiasm as they competed in the Cariboo Agility Team’s annual agility trial in 100 Mile House. The Williams Lake veterinarian said she’s always wanted to try dog agility and decided to enrol in training when she bought Selkie two years ago.
“It was my goal this summer to try agility with her,” Jordan said. “I had a lot of help from trainers. Alycia Rogal in Williams Lake started our foundation then sent me on to Roxanne Ziefflie who does the agility in the 108 Mile Ranch. We’ve been practising all summer to get to this event.”
Ziefflie, who organized the event, said 34 people competed with 45 dogs of all ages and experience levels. A $50 cash prize was awarded to the stop starter dog each day, going to Jacquie Edgar and her cattle dog Roxy on Saturday and Sabine Witte and her border collie May on Sunday.
“Our trial went great. Everyone pitched in so it ran very smoothly and there were lots of qualifying runs,” Ziefflie said. “All competitors said they will be back next year.”
Training with Selkie was a lot of fun, Jordan said. Selkie is a “wonderfully forgiving dog” who took everything, be it a new trick or Jordan getting confused, in stride.
Even though the basic course may look simple, Jordan said it can be challenging to remember the exact pattern. She had to make sure her body language and commands were clear, otherwise, Selkie won’t know what to do. During their first run on Saturday, Jordan said they performed exactly how they trained.
“We had a lot of fun,” Jordan said. “When she first got onto the dog walk and her pace was controlled, I knew she was listening to me. Then it was up to me to make sure I did a good course for her.”
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100 Mile’s Bonnie Gilchrist joined Jordan in taking her first steps into the dog agility world this weekend. At 68, Gilchrist said she was the oldest rookie handler the event had. Despite that, she said she and her Pomeranian Timmy had a blast.
“We’d just taken a few beginner lessons, some basic stuff, (from Peter Reid, president of the 100 Mile House Dog Club). They had a little agility course there and it seemed like it’d be a lot of fun,” Gilchrist said.
Next to a few “brain mush ups” Gilchrist said they had a fun run together. The experience has made her want to return next year and do more runs with him. Next year, though, she said she’d like to avoid doing it in the pouring rain.
“It’s good exercise for both of us,” Gilchrist said. “Hopefully, we can both carry on and do it as long as we’re healthy. Most people my age have been doing it for years and I’m just starting.”
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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