by Ashley Dawson
ashley@louisville.com
Kennedy, a full-breed Canaan, began showing signs of talent beyond simply being a loyal companion early on. “He was always spinning around and following my every move throughout the house. My husband used to joke that Kennedy was going to break his neck following me around the way he did.” However it wasn’t until he was five years old that Lisa registered him for a behavioral training class at the Kentucky Humane Society (KHS) and discovered her dog was destined for more than your average house pet.
After showing promise in the behavior training classes, Lisa thought they’d give the agility classes a whirl, eventually becoming a KHS volunteer agility instructor. Subsequently, two years of maneuvering through elaborate obstacle courses, some of which she helped build, Lisa felt prepared to enter “Team Kennedy” in their first agility trial.
Three and a half years later and the once orphaned canine, is now the number 5 nationally ranked Canaan dog in agility. At 10 years old Kennedy is considered an elder in his sport but don’t count him out yet.
Lisa and her dog took a cross-country road trip to Long Beach, California to compete this week/files/storyimages/in their most prestigious competition to date, the National AKC Agility Invitational. While hard work and a gifted dog got Team Kennedy the invite, they are able to participate largely in thanks to Lisa’s students at KHS who helped her raise the money necessary to compete.
As if the prospect of the week/files/storyimages/long contention- December 1, and 2- and the strenuous 2100 mi. drive weren’t daunting enough, the competition will be fierce. Only the top 5 dogs from 157 AKC registered breeds were invited to partake and of those, 470 will attend. “He [Kennedy] gets nervous sometimes in the ring and his legs will shake a little bit. I think the dogs understand that everybody is watching them.” Lisa admits to being a little nervous herself, but that sentiment is far outweighed by excitement. While she hopes for Kennedy to move up in the ranks she says, “coming home and still being number five would be okay too.”
The KHS Behavior Training program helps strengthen the bond between pets and owners through education and positive reinforcement. A variety of classes are offered for all ages and ability levels, beginning at 8 weeks, with locations all over town. For more information on KHS and the classes they offer visit www.kyhumane.org or call (502) 366-3355.
You can root for Lisa and Kennedy in the AKC Agility Invitational when it airs February 10, 2008, at 8 p.m. on Animal Planet.
