Five dogs in the AKC Canine Partners program are entered in the 2017 AKC Obedience Classic that takes place Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 16-17, in Orlando, FL, in conjunction with the AKC/Royal Canin National Championship and AKC Agility Invitational. There will be competition at every level of obedience: Novice, Open, Utility and Masters for dogs that qualified for the event. One of them is the adorable Miley:
Name: Up & Running A Mile a Minute CD MX MXJ MJB MXF
Call Name: Miley
Age: 5 years
Gender: Female
Obedience Class: Novice
Owner: Julie Hill
Hometown: Mandeville, LA
Miley was found in a Wal-Mart parking lot in December 2012 by dog fancier Debra Tyler. Debra tried to find Miley’s owners, but she was never claimed. When Miley kept escaping from Debra’s yard onto the golf course behind her house and going for rides in golf carts, the manager threatened to take Miley to the shelter. Debra sent Miley to Dallas dog trainer Peggy McConnell and told her that she would probably not be able to keep the dog as she couldn’t keep her confined to her yard.
“Peggy was a good friend of mine,” said Julie, “whom I spoke to frequently, and one day as we were chatting on the phone, I mentioned that I would like to get a terrier as my next dog. Peggy said, ‘Be careful what you wish for! I’ve got a dog for you!’ Peggy told me there was something very special about her.”
Julie was not ready to get another dog at the time and was hesitant at first, but finally asked for a photo. “A few weeks later, Miley came to live with me,” said Julie.
“For the first few years, Miley sat on the back burner as I trained and competed with my other two dogs. Last year, I retired one of my dogs, so Miley came to the forefront as my next competition dog. She qualified for the 2017 AKC Agility National Championship in March. She ended up seeded fifth for the finals round. Even though we had faults in finals, I was thrilled with how well she did in the very competitive 12” jump height class.”
Miley earned her CD this year with very nice scores and class wins. She and Julie are entered in the Novice Division at the Obedience Classic and look forward to a very fun time in Orlando!