A total of 29 American Kennel Club licensed clubs hosted 75 AKC Rally®, Agility and Obedience trials during the inaugural weekend of events open to AKC Canine Partners program enrollees. Among the many firsts that took place this past weekend, five dogs earned six AKC titles at events in Bakersfield, California, Freehold, New Jersey and St. Louis, Missouri.

“We are excited that our mixed-breed entries in AKC Rally®, Obedience and Agility classes totaled more than 500 around the country during this first weekend,” said AKC Spokesperson Gina DiNardo. “Purebreds and mixed-breeds had the chance to show off their skills and highlight that it’s the time you spend training and bonding with your dog that really matters the most.”

Nationwide highlights from first weekend include:

*Michele Capone and her dog “Cheyenne” were the first AKC Canine Partners enrollees to compete. They ran in the Novice Jumpers with Weaves class at the Somerset Hills Kennel Club Agility Trial in Freehold, NJ on April 2.

*Lynn Candiano with her dog “Rosie” and Sandy Mainardi with “Ginger” became one of the first competitors to put titles on their dogs. They earned the Novice Agility and Novice Agility Jumpers titles, respectively, at the Afghan Hound Club of Northern NJ Agility trials in Freehold, NJ on April 4, 2010.

*At the agility trial hosted by the Gateway Agility Club of Suburban St. Louis, Lauren Murray Bennett and her dog “Timmy” earned their Novice Agility and Novice Agility Jumpers titles on April 4, 2010. Dana Pike Chamberlain and “Tangle” earned their Novice Agility title.

*Sharon Stubs and her dog Katylee became the first mixed-breed team to earn a title in AKC Rally. They earned their Rally Novice title at the Kern County Kennel Club of Bakersfield in Bakersfield, CA on April 4, 2010.

*Pam Vojtas and her dogs “Charlie” and “Quincy” had qualifying runs at the Dog Obedience Training Club of Hollywood Rally and Obedience trials in Davie, FL on April 3-4, 2010. Pam and her dogs were featured in the March/April issue of AKC Family Dog Magazine.  

*The “We Have a Dream Team” formed the first competitive obedience team made up of two mixed-breed dogs and two purebred dogs. Named to express the new spirit of unity that has come to the sport, they competed in the obedience team competition at the Washington State Obedience Training Club’s event in Seattle.

See more coverage and photos of the first weekend of events.

Dog owners who missed out on this exciting weekend shouldn’t fret - there are more than 1,800 AKC clubs planning AKC Rally®, Agility and Obedience trials open to mixed-breeds in 2010, with more clubs signing on daily. To find an event in your area, visit the AKC Event Search page. Be sure to check the option “mixed-breed”, to search for events open to AKC Canine Partner enrollees.

Mixed-breed dog owners who enroll in the AKC Canine Partners program will not only have the ability to enter the exciting world of dog sports at AKC events, they can save $10 on AKC Canine Partners $35 enrollment fee if they list their dogs online by April 30.

Explore the benefits or enroll a dog today.