AKC Utility Dog (UD), Wonderful Wilbur UD and Sheila O’Brien of Richfield, MN
Long-time obedience competitor Sheila O’Brien was looking for a German Shepherd Dog when she spotted a photo of a terrier-mix puppy on PetFinder.com.
“He and his brother were from a kill shelter in Missouri. I wasn’t looking for a little dog but Wilbur’s eyes told me he was home.” She adopted Wilbur and “he came home to a house of two Labs who taught him ‘life is good.’”
They soon started obedience training and, despite many obstacles to work through, Wilbur got his UD on April 27, 2014. “I have trained two dogs to an Obedience Trial Championship, and Wilbur’s UD equates that because he did it all for me.”
“He is a timid sensitive soul who hears every sound in the ring. His ears flick back and forth as each sound registers, but he never broke a sit or down stay and he did his best to do his obedience while trying to conquer his timidity.”
“Obedience training gave him confidence, dog friends to be with, treats to eat on the sly, and lots of positive reinforcement from me on how brave he was and how proud I am of him.”
To learn more about AKC’s Canine Partners program and how your dog can be like Wilbur, click here.