A Year I Shall Never Forget
by Shannon Houg

My first year in the wonderful sport of dogs has come to a close. A year ago I entered my first agility trial, the first of what will be many more to come. I have met some of the best people I will ever meet at these agility trials. There have been so many people to talk to and meet, it has been amazing. Through the year I have had my ups and downs with my dogs, but my friends are always there to support me.

Two years ago I entered the 4-H dog program in Anoka County to work with and train my dogs. After a year of training in agility and obedience I was frustrated because at home I had been training Juneau (my oldest Doberman) in agility on and off for a couple of years, and what we were working on in 4-H was things she already knew (I needed to learn more about what the handler has to do, but the beginners class doesn’t do that). We weren’t sure what to do until we met Judy Kaiser. We met Judy not knowing that she was involved in agility. Judy had shown in agility for many years, and had become an AKC agility judge.

It was Judy who convinced me to enter a trial. It was an interesting experience, there were so many things I learned, and so many things I still had to learn about. In the four runs we had that weekend Juneau and I qualified once in Novice A standard taking second. It was an unbelievable experience walking out of the ring knowing that I had accomplished something. I had gotten the agility bug and have been going to trials ever since.

My first agility dog was Juneau (Juneau Duchess of Davenport OA NAP OAJ NJP), I showed her for a year. We had made it to Excellent A and had two legs towards her AXJ, but she wasn’t fast enough to qualify most of the time. My brother is now showing her in preferred open (In one 3 day trial, he got all the legs he needed for his novice preferred titles!) and is doing well. My second agility dog is Delta (Delta Duchess of Davenport NA OAJ) I have been showing her for about 5 months and it has been amazing. She and I have had so much fun out there, but it has been tough sometimes when things don’t go well.

Over all it has been an amazing first year with all the friends, successes, and laughs I have had this year. With 13 first places, 9 seconds, and 3 thirds I can’t find any reason to complain. I have even ventured in to the world of Junior Showmanship. On my first weekend I took both a second and a first, something I was not expecting. I encourage other juniors and kids to get out and see what they can do. It is an amazing sport full of amazing people.

I am fifteen and have just started my sophomore year of high school. It’s been tough juggling school, marching band, jazz band, dog shows, and being with my friends, but I won’t give any of it up. Training has been another issue during winter (I live in Minnesota) I have to make many trips back and forth to the clubs in the area for practice and instruction time. It’s been a fun year and I hope to see many more juniors at future competitions. I would also love to hear about any other junior handler showing Dobermans in agility/ obedience/ rally/ showmanship etc.

I want to thank my parents and every one I have meet this year for all the help and encouragement they have gave me. There are too many to mention but I have a special place in my heart for all of them. I would especially like to thank Judy Kaiser, who has helped me every step of the way. She is the one who gave me the nudge to go out and do this.