What is your name?
Spencer Pardee
How old are you?
16 years old
What state do you live in?
Michigan
What breed(s) do you compete with?
Standard Poodles
What sport(s) do you compete in with your dog(s)?
Tracking, obedience, rally, field, and agility
How did you become involved with this sport?
I became involved with tracking after a local friend asked me if I wanted to learn how to track and after I attended a camp put on by Ed Presnall and Debbie Maheu. I became involved in obedience through my mom and my aunt Connie who helped me train my first obedience dog. I became involved in rally and agility after Shirley Robertson let me show her dog in rally and agility and helped me train my dogs to compete in those sports. I became involved in the field hunt tests through my mom who is a Master Judge and my dad who was a Senior judge. My mom helps me train all the field dogs.
How do you balance school and competing in AKC events?
I balance school and competing in AKC events by trying to keep up with all of my school work during the week to minimize the amount of homework that I have to do over the weekend because most AKC events that I go to happen on the weekends so not having any work to do frees me from that responsibility and allows me to focus more on the dog and what we are competing in.
What do you enjoy the most about competing?
I enjoy getting to go different places to compete and meeting new handlers and juniors and reuniting with some old friends and people that we may have trained with prior to that test. Also, just in general having fun with the dog.
Do you hope to continue to compete in this Sport?
I hope to continue in all of the sports as long as my dog and I enjoy it as much as we do now.
What do you wish to do in the future?
I hope to become a tracking judge and to finish my dog Aslan’s Champion Tracker. In the field I hope to train my dog to become a Master Hunter. In Obedience I would like to get Aslan to a UD. In rally I would like a RE or a RAE. In agility I would like Aslan to get an Excellent standard and an Excellent Jumpers with Weaves.