NEW YORK (AP) — As they scramble and spring through the obstacle course, the question is this: Can anyone beat the border collies?
Dogs from the nimble herding breed have won the Westminster Kennel Club’s agility competition in each of its two years. Still, organizers say this year’s finals Saturday night could be any dog’s game.
Not that it matters to many participants, who say they’re just out to have fun and showcase their pets’ abilities at the nation’s most illustrious dog show.
“The dog doesn’t know” whether it won, Christy Wrede of Eatontown, New Jersey, said after a first-round turn with Emma, a Boston terrier mix she adopted from a shelter. “Regardless what happens, I go home with the best dog ever.”
Some 330 dogs ranging from petite Pomeranians to a giant schnauzer were signed up to scramble through the timed course of jumps, tunnels, ramps and more. Owners or handlers run alongside to signal the way.
The animals compete in height classes, but unlike many other agility trials, Westminster has the class winners run off to crown one top dog. There’s also a special title for the top mixed-breed dog.
Border collies are the most prevalent of the 76 breeds entered, and they’re agility powerhouses: driven, flexible and fast.
It’s a tough combination to beat, and it looks particularly difficult from the vantage point of a dog with a shorter legs like a cavalier King Charles spaniel, Kristine Schmidt said as she waited to run the first round with her cav, Peak.
Still, “you keep trying,” said Schmidt, of Shirley, New York.
Westminster agility director Paul Campanella says border collies won’t necessarily dominate.
There are robust entries from other big agility breeds, such as Sheltand sheepdogs and papillons. And the 26 mixed-breed competitors — nearly twice as many as last year — include some combos designed to be agility super dogs.
Crime, for instance, is a mix of speedy border collie and powerful Staffordshire bull terrier. While he didn’t have a good day, owner Debbie Lazaro of Howell, New Jersey, feels “a mixed-breed definitely could win.”
Besides, no matter the genes, any dog — or handler — can make a mistake.
“You never know what to expect,” said Suzann Milheron, whose border collie Ffynch won his height class at Westminster last year. (A smaller border named Tex took the overall championship.)
“We’re just here to have some fun” this time, said Milheron, of Somers, Connecticut.
Westminster added agility in 2014 amid a boom in the fast-paced, TV-friendly sport. The number of agility events sanctioned by the American Kennel Club has surged nearly 50 percent in the last five years, from under 2,500 in 2010 to nearly 3,700 last year. More than 12,000 canines are registered with the U.S. Dog Agility Association, which sponsors hundreds of events nationwide.
Fans say the sport strengthens communication and trust between dogs and owners.
Rickie Roo, a rat terrier, has to trust owner Deborah Davidson Harpur to help her navigate the agility course: The 8-year-old dog has little depth perception because of a genetic disorder. Even after eye surgeries two years ago, “she was trying to do agility in her cone,” says Harpur, of Harbor City, California.
Rickie Roo might not have a great chance of winning it all, but that’s OK with Harpur.
“I had a dog, two years ago, who could have been blind forever, and here I am, competing at Westminster,” she said. “No matter what, I’m a winner.”
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Reach Jennifer Peltz on Twitter @ jennpeltz.
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