If you are looking for an exciting family activity and if you love dogs, you won’t want to miss the American Kennel Club’s Dog Agility competition at the Hood River County Fairgrounds from July 4 through July 7. Show times are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.
Several local teams will be competing. Sue Gaulke from Hood River has been competing for over 12 years and will be handling her Golden Retriever, Bungee. They recently competed at AKC Nationals in Harrisburg, Pa. Gaulke will also be debuting her young Border Collie, Kix, in his first-ever competition. Gaulke’s daughter, Hood River High School graduate Lindsey Gaulke Popov, will be showing her Shetland Sheepdog. Paul Landau, also from Hood River, will be competing with one of the more unusual breeds, a Mudi, which is a herding breed from Hungary. Lyn and Joel Stevens from BZ Corners will be running with some pint-size favorites, Yorkies. In fact, Lyn’s dog, Spud, only weighs 4 pounds. Dogs compete according to height at the shoulders.
Agility – the AKC’s fastest growing sport, which reached more than one million entries in 2014 – demonstrates a dog’s willingness to work with its handler in a variety of situations. This exciting, athletic event requires top conditioning, concentration, training and, most importantly, teamwork as the agile dogs negotiate a tricky obstacle course, including weaving through poles, bounding over jumps, and balancing on boards.
According to Gaulke, spectators are in for a real treat. “Some of the best handlers in the world come from the Northwest, and because this is so fast-paced with a new team going out in the ring every minute, it’s very entertaining.”
