Meet Michael Kolath: Working Toward a Bright Dog Sports Future
Name: Michael Kolath
Age: 11
Hometown: Amarillo, TX
Grade: 6th
Family: Parents Bill & Sarah Kolath, brothers William and Andrew; sisters Elizabeth, Rebekah, and twin sister Annie
Michael lives in the Texas Panhandle city of Amarillo with his dog-loving family. His parents and sisters enjoy dog sports, and Michael is learning the sport of agility. He is looking forward to having his own dog to compete with and train someday.
AKC: How old is Duncan, and how did he come into your life?
Michael: Duncan is a 9-year-old Maltese mix and is owned by Faye Wilhelm, a family friend. We’ve known her for about six years. I’ve always enjoyed playing with Duncan and watching him run agility. Tennis balls are Duncan’s favorite toy, he loves to play fetch! This winter Faye had shoulder surgery and she asked me to run Duncan in the AKC Agility League for the winter season while she was recovering. I was very excited about this opportunity!
AKC: What got you started in training and competing with dogs?
Michael: My older sisters have dogs that they train and run in agility. I enjoy watching them train and trial their dogs. I have learned to work and volunteer in the agility ring by setting bars, leash running, scribe running, and helping in any way I can. I like to help my sisters set up courses because it helps me learn more about agility. I also like to watch my sisters train and trial their dogs in scent work. Once I even got to run Duncan at a scent work trial. I love to help Faye at trials.
AKC: Is your family involved in dog training/showing?
Michael: Yes, my family does a lot of training and trialing. My older sisters both have dogs that they do agility, scent work, trick dog, and rally with. My dad has trained and hunted a bird dog. My mom volunteers at our local AKC club and helps organize our four Agility League teams.
AKC: What sports does your dog compete in and what titles/honors has he earned?
Michael: Duncan is a very accomplished dog. Last season in Agility League he and I earned first place Limited Senior Junior Handler, fifth place overall Limited Junior Handler and fourth place Limited Senior 4” Preferred dog. He has also earned many titles with Faye including his Open titles, Excellent Fast and Excellent Jumpers titles in agility, in scent work he has earned his Overall Novice, some Advanced and a few Handler Discrimination titles, he has his Instinct title in barn hunt, his BCat in FastCAT, Advanced Rally, and his CGCA and Trick Dog Novice title.
AKC: Tell us about what dog training has meant to you.
Michael: I haven’t trained a dog yet, Faye did all of Duncan’s training, but I did work with him all winter in agility and had to keep up with his training. He taught me many things about handling skills and running in agility. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but it pays off. It was a challenge to learn a course and work through it, but so much fun to run it successfully and then get to reward Duncan with play afterwards. He’s such a fun little dog!
AKC: Tell us about any other dogs you may have – names, ages, and what sports they compete in.
Michael: My family has three dogs. Jasper is a 6-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer, who does trick dog, bird hunting, some agility, and is currently learning scent work. My dad and older sister Elizabeth train Jasper. Tansy is a 4-year-old English Cocker Spaniel, who runs agility, rally, trick dog, scent work, and some obedience. Tansy is Elizabeth’s dog. Rue is also an English Cocker Spaniel, he’s only two years old and runs agility, scent work, rally, and trick dog with my older sister Rebekah. Elizabeth and Rebekah are also planning to try FastCAT this summer.
AKC: Do you own any “non-dog” pets?
Michael: In addition to the dogs, we have a cat named Luna and lots of freshwater fish.
AKC: What are your goals in the sport of dogs?
Michael: My goals for dog sports are to have fun and to run fast and run clean in Agility League. I am planning to run in Agility League again this summer with another dog now that Faye can run Duncan again. Another friend, John Hefley, is going to let me run his 10-year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Bam. I hope to one day have a dog of my own to train and trial in agility and scent work. But until then I am gaining a lot of experience and learning how to handle and train agility by working with experienced dogs.
AKC: Do you plan do to something animal related as a career?
Michael: I would like to be an airline pilot when I grow up.
AKC: What extracurricular activities are you involved in addition to dog sports?
Michael: One of my favorite sports is archery. I compete in archery through Shoot Your Way Across Texas Indoor archery. I am also in a 4-H club and compete in Foods and Nutrition; I had an entry in the 4-H cooking Food Show this past year. One of my favorite hobbies is building and flying model remote control airplanes at our local RC Club. Another activity I enjoy is woodworking. More of my hobbies include camping, hiking, and fishing with my family. Fly fishing with dad is a lot of fun!