The 2017 AKC Obedience Classic and the AKC Agility Invitational took place December 16-17, 2017 in conjunction with the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin, demonstrating the highest level of training and teamwork between dog and handler. Obedience and agility competitions for junior handlers were held for the seventh year, and an AKC Rally® Junior competition was held for the fourth year.
On-demand coverage of agility and obedience is available at www.akc.org and live.royalcanin.com.
The winners:
AKC Obedience Classic
Four obedience dogs and their owners – one dog/handler team in each of the four classes – were crowned at the AKC Obedience Classic, which brought together 235 dogs from across the country and beyond.
Placing first in their class (Novice, Open, Utility and Masters respectively) were:
- Novice: Loteki Tropical Heat Wave CD BN RN, a Papillon known as “Josie,” owned by Jeannine Rash of Red Lion, Pennsylvania.
- Open: MACH Keeva's One More For The Road CDX BN RA MXC MJG XF T2B, a Border Collie known as “Jax,” owned by Judy Ramsey of Spring, Texas.
- Utility: CH Pin Oak Mar-Gin Orient Star UD BN RA, an Irish Setter known as “Grisha,” owned by Nancy Godbey and Jimmie Godbey of Greer, South Carolina.
- Masters: OTCH Rhumbline's All Or Nothing UDX2 OM4, a Labrador Retriever known as “Zeal,” owned by Petra Ford of Washington, New Jersey.
AKC Agility Invitational
Five agility dogs and their owners – one dog/handler team in each of the five height categories – were crowned as the 2017 winners of the AKC Agility Invitational, which brought together 716 dogs from across the country and beyond.
Placing first in their height division (8″, 12″, 16″, 20″ and 24″ respectively) were:
- 8” – NAC MACH9 Aerilee's Like Never Before MXC2 PAD MJC2 XF T2B2, a Papillon known as “When,” handled by Betsey Lynch.
- 12” – Bur-Way Ready Set Go MX MXJ MJB, an American Hairless Terrier known as “Game,” handled by Suzanne Birdsall.
- 16” – MACH6 PACH Swansong's Pretty Brilliant RN MXG2 MJS2 MXP3 MXPB MJP3 MJPB PAX MXF TQX T2B5, an Australian Cattle Dog known as “Kylie,” handled by Anne Swan.
- 20” – MACH4 Sagehill Spot On MXG PAD MJC PJD MXF TQX T2B3, a Border Collie known as “Graphite,” handled by Paulen-Renee Simpson.
- 24” – MACH2 Pm's Grayquest Wild Blue Yonder CD JH MXG MJC OF T2B, a Weimaraner known as “Jif,” handled by Lori Barbee.
The junior results:
AKC Juniors Obedience/Rally Classic
Juniors who participated in the AKC Juniors Classic competed in Obedience and/or AKC Rally®.
In Obedience, Juniors competed in the Beginner Novice, Preferred Novice and Preferred Open classes twice, based on their AKC obedience accomplishments.
Placing first in their class were:
Obedience
- Beginner Novice: Burlynne Mejeris, “Woody”, Australian Shepherd
- Preferred Novice: David Frasca, “Bling”, Border Collie
- Preferred Open: Avery Adams, Spark, Border Collie
In AKC Rally®, Juniors competed in Rally Novice, Rally Advanced or Rally Excellent, based on the dog’s class eligibility (qualifying scores and/or titles earned).
Placing first in their class were:
Rally
- Rally Novice: Jesse Thompson, “Mabel”, Australian Cattle Dog
- Rally Advanced: Abigail Stark, “Fuji”, Shetland Sheepdog
- Rally Excellent: Avery Adams, “Spark”, Border Collie
AKC Juniors Agility Competition
Juniors who participated in the AKC Juniors Agility Competition competed in either the Junior Excellent (at least 14 years old but under 19 years old) or Superior Classes (under the age of 14).
Placing first in their height division (8″, 12″, 16″, 20″ and 24″ respectively) in the Junior Excellent class were:
- 8”- Kayangee Wishing Well Excuse My Dust (Zoom), a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel handled by Anthony Rotelle
- 12”- MACH Blue Shadow On The Lake MXB MJB NF CGC TKP (Shadow), a Shetland Sheepdog handled by Morgan Vance
- 16”- MACH Wyndspell Fireworks MX MXJ CDX RAE TKA (Spark), a Border Collie handled by Avery Adams
- 20”- Dahle's TNT Watch Me Explode!! NA OAJ XF (Bama), a Border Collie handled by Anneka Mikel Dahle
- 24”- MACH Smokingold Vibrant Spark UD RE VER MX MXJ (Vibrant), a Golden Retriever handled by Avery Adams
Placing first in their height division (8”, 12”, 16″, 20” and 24″ respectively) in the Junior Superior class were:
- 8”- MACH6 Razi MXS2 MJG2 MFB TQX T2B CGCA (Razi), a Russell Terrier handled by Briana Sterling
- 12”- MACH4 Rhapsody's Enchanting Monster MXC MJC (Sulley), a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel handled by Carly Kreiser
- 16”- Liberty Hill Emit A Spark CGC OA OAJ RN (Flint), a Border Collie handled by Ryan Ford
- 20”- Rival's Spring Into Action (Tig), a Border Collie handled by Kai Macauley
- 24”- MACH2 Grandbois' Duke MXG MJG XF T2B2 (Duke), a Boxer handled by Ella Lovasco
These junior combined winners went on to compete in the AKC Agility Invitational:
- 8″ – Briana Sterling & Razi
- 12″ – Morgan Vance & Shadow
- 16″ Avery Adams & Spark
- 20″ – Kai Macauley & Tic
- 24″ – Avery Adams & Vibrant
[MEDIA NOTE: For photos, please contact communications@akc.org]
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