He’s 15 years old, but “Dooley,” the American Foxhound, is far from retirement.
White hairs dust his gentle face and his soft, caramel ears. He moves a little slower in AKC Rally competitions with owner Amanda Stipe, though his tail never stops wagging, and he often runs clean. Sometimes he’s cranky with the younger Beagle and Foxhound members of Stipe’s crew, but he’s happy to be their pillow when it’s time to rest. And he can be a bit demanding when he barks for his favorite treats (freshly baked crescent rolls with smoked salmon).
Despite his age, Dooley is still the fun-loving guy he’s always been, and “such a willing participant with a lot of what I ask to do,” says owner Amanda Stipe, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
On December 11-14, Dooley will be one of the oldest dogs — and one of the rarest breeds — to compete at the second AKC RACH Invitational and the 20th AKC Agility Invitational in Orlando, Florida. Both events are held in conjunction with the 2025 AKC National Championship, presented by Royal Canin.
This year marks a decade of Stipe and Dooley representing American Foxhounds in Orlando. But Dooley has nothing to prove: His registered name (MACH3 RACH3 Mama’s Lil’ Major Dooley CD BN RM11 RAE7 FDC MXB2 MJB2 MXPB MJP3 MJPB PAX MFB TQX MFPB T2B5 SWNE SWA SEE TKA) is a testament to his versatility and his devotion to Stipe.
“I always talked about running him like running a comfortable old shoe,” Stipe says. “It just felt, at times, really, really good and really right.”
A Heart for Hounds
Stipe has an affinity for scenthounds, particularly rescues. She and her husband, Fred, got their first one in 1998: a Beagle named “Barkley,” who was Stipe’s first teammate in competitive obedience and AKC Rally. A few years later, they rescued “Weaver,” an American Foxhound, on the day he was scheduled to be euthanized.
“So that was actually my ‘Novice A dog,’ in agility and pretty much life and everything,” Stipe says. Weaver and Stipe excelled in the sport from the start, placing fifth in the 20-inch jump height division at the 2007 AKC Agility Invitational in Long Beach, California.
Weaver showed Stipe that American Foxhounds can be wonderful companions. Plus, they’re eager to please, even if they prefer following their nose over following instructions.
“I thought the breed was very biddable once you figure out what their interest is, which is basically sniffing,” she says. “You have to be more interesting than a bunny, or bunny poop, or all of the sniffy things.”
Smitten with the breed and totally hooked on agility, Stipe started searching for her next performance prospect. “Matisse,” a rescue foxhound, joined their pack, but she chose the roles of “cushion smoosher” and “ruler of the house” over competing in dog sports.
“I secretly told Weaver that, before he passed away, he needed to find me a dog that was equally as good as him, if not better,” Stipe says. “He found me Dooley — and Dooley is, incredibly, much better.”
Finding Dooley
In 2010, Stipe received an email from her friend Marie Tripton, who worked at the Richmond SPCA. “I think this would be a nice dog for you,” Tripton said, and attached a video of a goofy, lanky, 6-month-old Dooley clambering on agility equipment.
Stipe and her husband drove up to Richmond to meet Dooley the weekend before Thanksgiving. “He seemed to be outgoing and very happy and excited,” she recalls. His rock-solid temperament was evident: When an ex-pen blocking the doorway fell over, Dooley was unfazed, even walking on top of the fallen pen.
At first, the puppy didn’t pay much attention to Stipe — he was much more taken with her husband. “I was a little bit more hesitant and tentative, but my husband looked at Marie and said, ‘So where’s the paperwork?'” she laughs.
Stipe enrolled Dooley in basic obedience classes at Pet Behavior Help, a training facility where she also teaches. In those early training sessions, Stipe’s objective was to capture — and hold — Dooley’s attention.
“He was still very outwardly focused, like most scent-work dogs are,” Stipe says. “He’s like, ‘Let me explore the environment! What’s that? Is that running? Is that moving?'”
Her strategy? “Becoming the bunny,” she laughs. In other words, she channeled his natural behaviors by tossing treats for him to sniff out, running away, so he has to chase his reward, and spitting treats at him for an element of surprise.
“Basically, forging a bond with that particular dog is the biggest thing,” Stipe says. “It’s creating value for you versus value for the environment.”
Following Dooley’s Lead
In his heyday, Dooley was nicknamed “the Border Collie of the hound dogs,” as he’d regularly score in the high 90s in AKC Rally and placed 12th at the 2019 AKC Agility Invitational finals. “As his mental acuity has dropped,” Stipe says, “he’s kind of in it for the fun — and definitely treats.”
But Stipe feels it’s important to continue representing hounds, particularly American Foxhounds, at these major events. “They’re wonderful companions, and they sometimes don’t get the attention that I think they do deserve.”
She adds the caveat: “Hounds are very humbling, and if anyone has an ego that they need to have soothed, they’re not the breed for them.”
Take last year’s AKC RACH Invitational, for example. On their first run, Stipe cued Dooley to sit at the starting sign, removed his leash, and handed it to the ring steward. The judge told them to go when ready, and the team moved toward the first sign.
But Dooley forged ahead, blowing through the sign. “Honestly,” Stipe laughs, “he looked for the agility equipment.” After nine years of competing in agility in Orlando, Dooley was making his preference known. “Each one of [the runs] got slightly better, but his whole thing is, ‘Where’s the agility equipment, and where are the cookies? Because I’m too old for this.'”
Stipe hopes this year’s AKC RACH Invitational performance will be a redemption story. But regardless, she’s following Dooley’s lead on what he wants to do.
“This may actually be his last big event. I’m hoping not,” Stipe says. As long as Dooley’s alive and up for the trip, she says, she’ll continue representing American Foxhounds at the Invitational. She always cherishes the time they spend together as a team.
“Even if I walk him in the ring, and we wave at everybody, and then I walk right back out, I would do that.”
The AKC National Championship, presented by Royal Canin, has crowned its 2025 Best in Show! Learn more about conformation and follow your favorite breeds at dog shows throughout the year.