PACH Ellie Ferdinand MJP 4 MJPB PAX MFP owned by George Ferdinand of Yelm, WA
George became interested in agility before he got Ellie. His daughter was in the Thurston County Dog 4-H program with her Pug, Max, and George started volunteering with the youth group. “After helping the kids with training, I became hooked. I was given Ellie when she 8 weeks old; she came from a ranch in southern Oregon. We started our agility training in January 2011and joined the AKC Canine Partner program in September 2011. “
They entered their first competition two months later and were hooked. Five years later, Ellie’s PACH was awarded on July 30, 2016, at the Northwest Bearded Collie Club of Puget Sound trial.
“We have had good runs and bad, but after what I call 30 seconds of fun. We leave the ring the way we came in — happy to be with each other and feeling accomplished whether we have qualified or messed up the course. On the way home, she will put her paw on my arm, give me the look saying she had fun and when do we get to go play again. I am very passionate about agility and recruit people whenever I get a chance to sell them on it too. As for Ellie and I we have started working on our second PACH, and look forward to the road ahead.”
Ellie is a member of the AKC Canine Partners program for all dogs,including mixed-breeds and rescues.