Meet Mia Federico: A Junior Career led to big Agility Goals
In just three years, Mia has gone from beginner to top-winning competitor in obedience, rally, and agility. With her All American Dog, Mochi, she was a member of the Junior Open Agility World Championship Team in 2023 and was High Combined at the Juniors Obedience Classic in 2023, among other honors. She’s off to a great start toward her goals of worldwide agility competition. Mia plans to attend Shenandoah University in the fall.
Name: Mia Federico
Age: 18
Hometown: Leesburg, VA
Grade: Senior in High School
Family: Parents Ellen and Massimo; sister Amelia
AKC: How old is your All American Dog and how did he come into your life?
Mia: Mochi, a Golden Retriever/Labrador Retriever mix, is 4 years old. We originally got him as an 8-week-old puppy in a program for service dog organization Canine Companions. My family and I were volunteer puppy raisers for the organization. He was the first dog that I had a large responsibility for. He matured really nicely, but when we turned him in for advanced training, he did not do well in the kennel environment and was released quickly. We adopted him, and he came home forever.
AKC: What got you started in training and competing with dogs?
Mia: I had trained my family dogs occasionally, but when I got Mochi in 2019, I really got into training. Then, in 2021, I took a puppy class with my American Hairless Terrier, Pippa. I got her as a conformation prospect but wanted to try other sports too after seeing some YouTube videos. In that class, I met my friend, Portia, who did agility and suggested I try it with my adult dog, Mochi. I signed up for a trial without knowing anything, and she helped me through the weekend. I owe it to her for getting me hooked on this sport.
AKC: Is your family involved in dog training/showing?
Mia: No, my family isn’t involved in dogs at all.
AKC: What sports does your dog compete in and what titles/honors has he earned?
Mia: Mochi (Just A Sweet Talker CD RA AX AXJ XF CA DCAT CGC RATI RATN) does agility, rally, FastCAT, and dock diving. He was a team member of the Junior Open Agility World Championship Team in 2023 and was fourth overall 20” at the Junior Agility Competition in 2022. He also won High Preferred in 2022 and 2023 at the Juniors Classic and High Combined at the Juniors Classic in 2023.
AKC: Tell us about what dog training has meant to you.
Mia: In the last three years, dog training (mostly agility) has completely changed the trajectory of my life. I’ve traded a normal high school experience for trialing and traveling (for trials). I’m very grateful to have found something that I am so passionate about. I always have training to focus on, and I’ve found such a great community in agility.
AKC: Tell us about any other dogs you may have – names, ages, and what sports they compete in.
Mia: I have two other dogs. I have Pippa, my 3-year-old American Hairless Terrier, and Dera, my 2-year-old Border Collie. Both compete in a variety of sports, but my main sport is agility with Dera. She is a member of the Junior Open Agility World Championship Team this year, and Pippa was a member of the team last year.
AKC: Do you own any “non-dog” pets?
Mia: I don’t right now, but I plan on getting a snake in a few years and then a blue-tongued skink.
AKC: What are your goals in the sport of dogs?
Mia: I have a lot of agility-based goals. My main ones are making the European Open, World Agility Open, and Agility World Championship Teams.
AKC: Do you plan do to something animal related as a career?
Mia: No, I want to separate my hobby from my career.
AKC: What extracurricular activities are you involved in in addition to dog sports?
Mia: Currently, most of my weekends are spent at agility trials. In the past I was big into human sports, mainly gymnastics.