This is Just the Beginning!
by Laura Coulter

I could begin by listing the State Fairs I’ve attended and the titles my dogs and I have earned. But those are not the kind of things that I cherish most about my experience in the AKC. My love for dogs began as a very young child. I drove my parents crazy begging for a dog of my own. I’d memorize my breed book and I knew all the dogs in our neighborhood before I knew the owners. However, we weren’t able to have one until we moved to a country house when I was seven years old.

I began in 4-H with Libby right away, and later I started trialing in AKC agility as well. My second dog, Sam, joined in later as well. We’ve attended seminars with famous handlers and the Border Collie specialty in St. Louis. But the most important people in my agility career have been the ones that gave me a leg up in the dog world. My first instructors are now dear friends and I go to trials with them often. The thing about AKC that I cherish most is the simple fact that it’s my opportunity to have fun with and learn from my dogs.

My experiences in dog training have been some of the best times of my childhood and high school days. Juniors are not the ones that need to be reminded to have fun with their dogs, but keep it up. As a graduating senior, AKC and dog training is one of the few things I will be able to continue to participate in past high school. Your Junior Years are just the beginnings of a possible life-time career or hobby. I hope to continue trialing in agility through college, but if I don’t manage, I know it will be there when I’m through. I look forward to being involved in the rapidly progressing world of dog training. This is just the beginning!