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Haley Berman never expected that a dog she spotted online would be an agility star. But on March 19, 2026, she and her All-American Dog, “Tully” MACH Star Fox MXB MJS OF T2B3 TKI, will be competing in their second AKC National Agility Championship (NAC) at Galway Downs in Temecula, California.
Tully will be competing in the regular division, and the pair plans on taking things easy until the trial before the NAC. “That’ll be when I’m really homing in on things,” Berman says.
Finding Tully
Coming from the horse world, Berman was interested in competing in dog sports like agility, which has parallels to show jumping. At the time, she had “Wiley,” a mixed-breed that she rescued while she was in college. While he was “the perfect little companion,” he wasn’t exactly the best partner for high-energy sports. “He was very independent and had his own agenda, and that was fine, and that worked for him,” she says. “So, I set out to get a sports dog.”
Berman was hoping to get a more biddable dog to compete with, maybe an Australian Shepherd, or a Border Collie. Her best friend, who she calls a “dog matchmaker,” stumbled upon an online listing for Tully, who needed to be rehomed because her current owner could no longer care for her.
After meeting Tully, Berman was initially having second thoughts. She had driven from Northern California to Los Angeles to meet her, and found Tully was much more energetic than Wiley. She’d go from being interested in Berman to being interested in her ball to running around all over the place. So she got another opinion.
“I called my best friend up, and she was like, ‘Just do it. I think she’s gonna be a great dog for you,’” Berman says. “The next day, I went to go pick [Tully] up. I brought her home, [and] she was a terror for the first month that I had her. So, I decided I needed to give her a job.”
Getting Into the Groove
Shortly after, Berman enrolled Tully in classes at Zoom Room, a dog training gym. Here, they had their first taste of agility. “She got exposed to some of the equipment, and I realized she really enjoyed it,” Berman says. “She was really good at it.”
The pair even tried their hand at Disc Dog with the Disc Dog Club in Southern California. However, while Tully loves catching the flying discs, Berman admits she’s not the best thrower. Luckily, Tully is pretty much happy with whatever activity she’s thrown into. Tully will even run beside Berman while she rides horses. “She’s just a really special dog,” Berman says.
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and they weren’t able to further their training until 2021. They joined group agility classes at Jump City. “She took to it immediately, and I was like, ‘This is what I want to do with this dog.’” Berman says.
Tully and Tizzy Take to Agility
From there, they found a serious trainer and began formally competing in agility in 2022. Tully was 4 years old at that point, and despite a later start, she’s been able to excel very quickly. In June 2025, Tully received her Master Agility Champion (MACH) title.
“Just the fact that we were able to get that was pretty exciting for us, especially with the dog that isn’t bred for it,” Berman says. “She’s just been the greatest teacher. She’s just naturally good at it. She reads my body language really well, and she’s a great sports partner.
After her success with Tully, Berman decided to get “Tizzy” (MACH Tizzy Fit MXB MJB OF T2B2 TKN), an All-American Dog who also received her MACH last year. However, Berman chose to pull her from competing at the NAC this year, as the trial environment can be a bit overwhelming for her.
“I’m hoping that we can get back to it after she takes a little break and we kind of figure out what’s going on in terms of confidence levels,” Berman says. “I just decided I wanted to focus on Tully for this year.”
Second Times the Charm
In terms of their performance at this year’s NAC, the pair hopes to have fun and run a little faster than they did last year. “She’s just a joy to run,” says Berman. “So I just want to enjoy my dog.”
Over the past year, Tully has been getting faster at home and at trials. Shaving off some time on her run would be a rewarding enough experience for Berman, especially since she feels they had a later start in the agility world.
“She’s the greatest Novice A dog for me at least,” Berman says. “She’s not the fastest, and she’s not the flashiest, but she’s really consistent. She does her best, and she just wants to please. That’s all she cares about.”