Ruth and Ponto

Ruth and Ponto

Every once in a while you run into a "Rock Star" and for Ruth that rock star's name is "Ponto".  Ponto is a 10 year old Aussie with high drive and exceptional skills and is teamed with a dedicated handler.  The team has done exceptionally well, placing as high as 7th in the 20 inch class at the nationals in a jump height dominated by the BC's.  Despite 2 ACL  problems and multiple bumps and bruises the team continues to perform at the highest level. Once Mach 3 was attained the decision was made to move Ponto to thee preferred level and jump him at 16 inches.  That didn't stop them at all.. He might be getting older but he is not slowing down..
Here are his first 7 runs at the new height...
7 Runs  7 1st places  at an average speed of 5.28 yards per sec 

Clermont County Kennel Club, Inc.	2015-04-10	JWW Master Pref 16	1	25.7	5.91
Clermont County Kennel Club, Inc.	2015-04-10	STD Master Pref 16	1	38.9	4.29
Clermont County Kennel Club, Inc.	2015-04-12	JWW Master Pref 16	1	26.1	5.56
Miami Valley Shetland Sheepdog Club	2015-04-24	JWW Master Pref 16	1	27.1	5.9
Miami Valley Shetland Sheepdog Club	2015-04-24	STD Master Pref 16	1	40.85	4.53
Miami Valley Shetland Sheepdog Club	2015-04-25	STD Master Pref 16	1	39.55	4.63
Miami Valley Shetland Sheepdog Club	2015-04-26	JWW Master Pref 16	1	28.91	5.43

May I present Ruth and MACH 3 Ponto MXG MJG OF

Ruth and Cari

Ruth and Cari

Ruth runs 2 dogs presently Cari  a Pembroke Welsh Corgie  at 8 inches and an Australian Shepard Ponto at 20 inches.  Ruth started her agility showing watching her kids doing 4H.. Once they were out of 4H and moved onto other interests Ruth felt it was her turn to play agility.  And play she did.  With Cari the basic training had been done but the precision needed to be successful was not there.  So a retraining program was implemented.  Private lessons, late nights and lots of weekends were dedicated to retrain and refocus the dog as she had many bad agility habits. Contacts were something to ignore or jump over, running to the end of the teeter was just not needed.  These were just a few of the things Ruth and Cari had to overcome.  Time, practice and focus not only got them over them but turned them into a team to watch and fear if you were competing against them.. The team does not know slow.  The result was a couple trips to the National Agility Championships and a National ranking for 8 inch dogs.  The result is a title list which is much bigger than Cari's name and getting longer all the time. Cari is a Master Agility Champion and is 2 double Q's away from being a 

 MACH 2.  The journey is not over yet so there will be more runs, more laurels and more titles.

MACH Caridwen's Spartanica MXS MJS XF T2B2 

Dan and Smedley

Dan and Smedley are the newest members to the agility advanced class.  Having started in agility a little over a year ago they have progressed thru the ranks rather quickly.  But it did not come easy, practice sessions at home and 2/3 trips to the barn a week plus classes is what it took.. Dan has not run in his first event yet but is a frequent participant of the Queen City Friday night  practice runs... We do look for the team to compete this fall and I am sure they will do well.. 

 Dan and Smedley

Becky and Maddie

Maddie and Becky

Becky and her 9 1/2 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi "Maddie" have set the bar very high.. This little old lady blazes the agility courses every times she runs, barking the entire way.  Being an older dog Becky runs Maddie in the preferred classification which means she jumps 1 jump height down from her measured height, so she runs at 4 inches.  As you can see she has earned her Preferred Agility Championship and is working her way up the masters ladder.  She has also had numerous invites to the National Agility Championship Trials and has earned her way into the finals. Not bad for an elderly lady with short legs.  Maddie is one of those dogs you just cannot not watch gifted, fast, exciting and very well handled by her Mom Becky

PACH Maddie MXP3 MXPB MJP4 MJPB PAX

Miley XVIII MX MXJ

Who Says a Boxer Can't Do It!!!

It has been a long tough struggle for Kathy and her 6 year old  boxer Miley.. First the distraction problem where is my Dad, got to find Dad. Oh there he is I'll go see him... Then the smelling the ground thing... I always find something on the ground to eat.  Then the brain glitch 'Sorry, I forgot we were running a course"... Miley nearly drove Kathy crazy many times as time after time great runs were tanked due to Ms Miley smelling , looking around or just plain losing interest...  But Kathy has ventured on, conquering every  problem.  So today Ms Miley is know as Miley XVIII MX MXJ  .  Not a lot of Boxers out there these days.. But when this one gets going she does real well. Here is a short practice session of Kathy and Miley 

Miley XVIII MX MXJ  

Colleen and Cooper

A long long trip but a lot of great results.. Colleen and Cooper have had many set  backs (teeter, dog walk, hitting contacts) but always worked their way thru them... So today they are reaping the benefits of sticking to it and being patient.
Here is one of their recent practice sessions.... Notice rewarding the contact and exaggerating the ques..

Cooper IX MX MXJ XF