Meet Kacy Ebinger: Off to a Great Start in Dog Sports
Name: Kacy Ebinger
Age: 16
Hometown: North Pole, Alaska
Grade: 10th
Family: Parents Jessica & Matt Ebinger, younger sister Allison
Kacy has been living in Alaska with her family for eight years and she is a member of the Weave Been Freezin’ AKC Agility League Team.
“The weather does make agility or any other sport really difficult,” she said, “and once it starts snowing towards October, the competitions get moved to a horse corral, which has plenty of space to set up the courses but not much space to bring the dogs in. We always do car kenneling. We usually aren’t able to have competitions outdoors until June.”
“Alaska is exciting, but we are moving to the lower 48 (what we in Alaska call all the other states except Hawaii), where there will be more clubs and opportunities for junior agility activities.”
AKC: How old is Sugar and how did she come into your life?
Kacy: Sugar is around 6 years old. Her previous owner got her to become an emotional support dog. However, she did not have the right temperament and was too high-energy for the tiny apartment that the owner was living in. When my dad and I went to get her, she looked scared and confused. Sugar was in poor shape and not very fluffy when we got her and when we brought her home we realized that she was not socialized with other dogs or people. The only person she trusted was me.
AKC: What got you started in training and competing with dogs?
Kacy: My good friend Crystal Dennis got me into dog training, agility, and dog shows. One day when my mom and I were looking at pictures of dogs on her phone, Crystal had been eavesdropping, and we told her that we had just gotten a dog and that she was not very well socialized or trained. Crystal referred us to various training facilities and became my unofficial coach in dog training, agility, and recently conformation dog shows.
I did my first competition season running Crystal’s dog Buddy, an 8-year-old American Eskimo Dog. I have won third place in Masters JWW with him. He was already in Masters when I started running him; I ran him more to train myself and get experience. I had a lot of fun with Buddy and have learned many things with him. Now, instead of running Buddy all the time, I run Blitzy (another of Crystal’s dogs) and Sugar. The April trial was my first time running Blitzy in a competition. I also ran Sugar in a trial. This is her second agility season. Recently I started showing Blitzy in conformation. Blitzy has won many awards at dog shows, and I can’t wait for my first competition.
AKC: Tell us about what dog training has meant to you.
Kacy: I had been wanting to do a sport for a while but options in Alaska are limited. You only have three months a year to participate in any outdoor sport. With agility I am able to do competitions and meet up with friends to practice. Training has given me something to do that combines three things that I love: dogs, physical activity, and competition.
AKC: Is your family involved in dog training/showing?
Kacy: My family is very involved with my agility. My mom is especially involved. She has taken me to every practice, competition, and meet-up. She will even help me practice in the yard with Sugar by reminding me to work on certain things. She also helps to keep me motivated when I become frustrated or stressed. My dad is always wanting to know how my practices and competitions go, even if he can’t always come. He is always just as excited as I am about training.
AKC: What sports does Sugar compete in and what titles/honors has she earned?
Kacy: Sugar has not earned any titles yet but at the most recent trial she had her first qualifying run. We started training when she was about a year and-a-half old. She has been doing novice competitions for two years. During the first few years of training, I didn’t do a lot of agility with Sugar because her social problems were more of a priority.
AKC: Tell us about any other pets you may have – names, ages and what sports they compete in.
Kacy: We have one other dog in the family besides Sugar. We have a Shih Tzu/Dachshund mix named Sweetiebelle, who is 5 years old. She mostly sleeps and wants nothing to do with exercise. The other pet we have is a black cat named Sadie, but her nickname is Meow Meow. She is 17 years old and weighs only 6 pounds.
AKC: What are your goals in the sport of dogs?
Kacy: I don’t really have any big goals in dog-sports. I mostly enjoy it as a hobby, but I hope to do it for many years to come.
AKC: Do you plan do to something animal related as a career?
Kacy: I plan on becoming a vet in Georgia, which is where we are moving this October. There I will be able to intern at a vet clinic and enroll in some college veterinary classes.
AKC: What extracurricular activities are you involved in addition to dog sports?
Kacy: I have been playing the piano for five years, but I only do it for fun.