The Bay Area is home to dog sports organizations of all types, as well as plenty of canine contenders. Many local dogs, in fact, have won major championships. Here are the stories of just a few of these amazing athletes and their human teammates.
Steve Teer & Guiness
I have been competing in Canine Disc competitions for eight years with my nine-and-a-half-year-old red merle Australian Shepherd, Guinness. The timing that’s required to do well in canine disc, especially freestyle, creates an amazing bond between handler and pup, both on and off the field. I can’t really call what we do dog training, because Guinness is my teacher as well as my student.
Guinness is slowing down as he approaches his tenth birthday, but it has been an amazing journey, with over 20 first place finishes, including the 2002 California State Championship and the 2003 Skyhoundz Southwest Regional Championship. He is also a three-time World Finalist, earning another trip to Worlds in 2006 at the age of nine. Guinness is in great shape and will continue to play for many more years, but it is time to pull the more athletic and acrobatic moves from his routine.
I am grooming my two-year-old blue merle Australian Shepherd, Irish, to follow in Guinness’ large pawprints. She already has placed in three tournaments and is one of the most talented and athletic dogs I have seen in this sport.
My wife Jill is a great announcer and we have a nine-year-old Shepherd Mix rescue named Sandy who plays, as well. The five of us make up Team Flyin’ Irish, part of Disc Dogs of the Golden Gate. Although we love to compete, our real love is performing demos at events for worthy causes, mostly to help out shelters and rescue organizations.
Diana Foster & Buster
Buster was in trouble at a very young age, having been stuffed into the night drop box at the shelter at eight weeks old. He was a feisty, though adorable, Border-Terrier puppy, and even the SPCA didn’t give him much chance at finding a suitable home. Buster’s attitude improved in puppy class, but for the safety of all the other puppies he was isolated during play time.
When I adopted him, Buster was a real handful, but giving him lots of training has turned him into a star Flyball dog. It helps that he is truly ball obsessed. I have tried any number of recall toys, but if it’s not a ball, he’s not interested!
Right after his first birthday, a tugging accident injured Buster’s knee. After surgery, two pins, and six months(!) of crate rest, he was more eager than ever.
Now five years old, Buster still never holds back in the Flyball ring. From the first race on Saturday morning to the last race on Sunday afternoon, he goes full speed ahead. And the tournaments where he gets to double run or even start are his favorites. On June 23, he earned his Flyball Grand Champion award (30,000 points)!
Ashley Deacon & Luka
I am the owner of Luka, a Pyrenean Shepherd. She is four-and-a-half years old and one of the top Agility dogs in her height category in the country. We participate in both the AKC and USDAA dog agility programs, competing regularly at the local and national levels.
In 2005, at just three years of age, Luka won the 16” division of the USDAA Dog Agility Steeplechase. She went on to win the 16” division of the inaugural AKC Agility Invitiational in 2006 and followed that up in March of this year by winning the 2007 National Agility Championship.
In May, Luka competed at the AKC World Team tryouts in Hopkins, Minnesota, where she won three out of five rounds of competition and finished as the top-ranked midi dog. Unfortunately, because of her docked tail, Norwegian regulations won’t allowed her to compete at the World Championships.
Outside of agility, Luka loves hiking and playing fetch on the beach.
Ursula Kinley & Gunner
My dog Gunner is a five-year-old Border Collie whom I adopted from Northern California Border Collie Rescue in November 2004. It was love at first sight. He is tall, athletic, and over the top energy-wise, but he also has a softer side that I find very appealing.
Over the three years I have had him, Gunner has dabbled in several sports, including Herding, Canine Disc, and Agility, but his true loves are flyball and dock jumping. Gunner has a strong desire to fly, and with his power and speed he can run a 51-foot Flyball course in 4.0 seconds flat, jump a distance of 25 feet, and leap 6’ 10” in the air. He is now being sponsored by Natura Pet Products, and we hope to continue to make them proud as we work our way to the 2007 Cynosport Championship in November.
Gunner has expanded my love for dog sports and was a driving force in my forming the Bay Area Diving Dogs. He is a very special dog and I am grateful to the volunteers at Northern California Border Collie Rescue for giving him a second chance.
Nancy Frensley & True, Slick and Lolly
I have been competing in agility since the mid-eighties, when all the clubs were just starting. My first champion was Mick, a hot-running Dachshund mix who was always in the ribbons. He was still a strong contender when he passed away at the age of 13.
My next dogs were Australian Shepherds. One of them, True, competed widely for eight years with a first, second, or third place almost every time. She never quit enjoying both competition and practice and has been invaluable in helping me to teach other dogs.
And then came my Border Collie, Slick. He is the thrill of a lifetime to work with, like driving a Mazarati – you are always careening on the edge of disaster at high speed. He gets a tug game and treats at the end of every run, though I think getting out there on the course is his greatest reward. He has almost recovered from a serious bout of Leptospirosis and is back in training. We will be trialing soon in AKC and have started to learn herding – a second fulfilling occupation for him.
My newest Australian Shepherd, three-year-old Lolly, has almost finished her training. I couldn’t ask for a better jumper and she is starting to really zoom through the weave poles. I’m hoping she will take us to AKC Nationals in a couple of years.
I have seen my dogs blossom in the agility atmosphere. They have given me so much fun and have allowed me to shine in this sport. I like to pass the joy along by teaching a recreational agility class on Saturday mornings through the City of Albany recreation department.
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