Corvallis Gazette-Times
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Tuck, a Belgian Malinois, was energetic as he ran the course, weaving easily between a row of posts, dashing through tunnels, charging over an A-frame and vaulting over many hurdles with a grace that seemed to ignore gravity.
“For my mid-life crisis . I should have got a sports car; instead I got a sports dog,” said Risë Quay, Tuck’s owner. Quay, a Beaverton resident, brought Tuck to a dog agility trial at the Benton County Fairgrounds last weekend. The three-day event, which ended Sunday, was sponsored by the Willamette Agility Group, an organization that puts on dog agility events throughout the valley.
The trial was a qualifying event for the United States Dog Agility Association, which means participants could qualify for national competitions through it, or work on earning recognition through the organization.
Quay said she tried dog agility because she thought it looked fun, and became addicted to the adrenaline. She added that the sport centers on the connection between dogs and their owners.
“It’s really about a high level of communication, coupled with speed,” she said.
Quay said training a dog for agility competitions can take around two years.
Naomi Snapp, of Cottage Grove, was one of the event’s organizers. She said the event had around 1,000 dog runs. Snapp said WAG organizes six to eight trials a year, three or four of which are in Corvallis. She added that other organizations also sponsor other events locally, so on average the city has a dog agility event about every month.
The trial had two events, a master standard, which involves a variety of obstacles for a dog to run, and a steeple chase, which has a handful of obstacles that dogs run trying to achieve speed.
According to Snapp, the course layouts vary so owners need to be able to communicate well with their dogs to lead them through the courses.
“A lot of people get into it as a way to have fun with their dogs and get addicted,” she said.
Snapp, who teaches dog training classes, said having goals for agility training helps dogs become better managed in other behaviors.
She said the subculture of dog agility trainers is very supportive.
“The dog agility community is really special,” she said.
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