MACH Benny Bodine CD RE MXB MJS OF T2B owned by Sherry Hubbard of Worthington, OH
At the ripe age of 10 ½ years, All American dog, Benny Bodine, earned his MACH on July 31, 2021 at the Dayton Dog Training Club in the lovely setting of Moraine, Ohio. This is the first and only MACH for this team that has been working towards this goal since earning their first Masters leg in September, 2018.
Handler and owner Sherry Hubbard, 69 years old, adopted Benny in 2011 from the Licking County Animal Shelter. Labelled a boxer/lab mix, later DNA tests revealed springer spaniel/pit bull/bulldog lineage. His high energy had discouraged more than one family who, after trying a test walk, quickly decided to look for a more manageable pup. Though they already had two female mixed breeds at home, Sherry’s husband, Bill, agreed to give this young dog a chance. “However,” Sherry said, “Bill nixed the proposed name of Rocket Man. ‘If you call him that,’ Bill said, ‘he will never calm down.’” A compromise was reached with a name from another Elton John song, Benny and the Jets. Benny’s lively antics were much loved by their Buckeye Lake neighbors earning him other nicknames: Goofball, Knucklehead, and Jethro Bodine (from the Beverly Hillbillies).
After Bill’s unexpected death in 2015, Sherry credits Benny with restoring hope and purpose, providing companionship and protection and holding open the door that led to the camaraderie and challenges of training and competing in AKC dog sports. Over the years, Benny has proven himself in AKC obedience, rally and ultimately agility with a surprise qualification for the AKC 2021 National Agility Championship competition in Tulsa, and the MACH.
Sherry is grateful for her memberships through the years at multiple fine dog clubs – Columbus All-breed Training Center, Licking River Kennel Club, and Agility and Rally for Fun, and especially for access to world-class instruction available at Incredipaws. With their MACH achieved, she has promised Benny retirement with more time available for his favorite activity – swimming. “Keeping that promise may be my hardest agility challenge yet!” she said.