We are in Orlando with the Clever Hounds for the AKC Agility Invitational. Spice, Ginny, and Alice will be representing PBGVs at this event. We came down early so Bee could compete in the breed shows this week also, which always get large PBGV entries. She’s doing a good job and showing well in a challenging environment. I find most everything about the breed ring frustrating and annoying, but I’m trying.
This is the 19th AKC Agility Invitational and I have had PBGVs invited every year. Tigger missed attending one year in Long Beach because of a work conflict, but it’s an event that I’ve always really enjoyed. The Invitational invites the Top 5 regular class and Top Preferred Dog of each breed, as opposed to the National Agility Championship, which requires a specific number of points and double-Qs. There is overlap between the two events, but in general the Invitational includes very consistent dogs and a much wider variety of breeds. It’s also held at a much more public event so it’s a chance to share agility with a broader community. I’ve always said that it’s easier to get a PBGV into Invitational than Nationals, but this isn’t necessarily true anymore, at least in the preferred classes.
As someone who has done agility with my breed of choice for many years, I love having an event that showcases the athleticism of so many breeds. PBGVs are athletic dogs who were developed to work all day in rough terrain. They should be quick and agile and are definitely not a long and low breed. Conformation judges, please take note. Breeders, please take note. Let me say that again in case you missed it the first time- PBGVs are not a long and low breed! As a breeder I work hard to produce dogs that are not only correct in type, but also completely functional working dogs. AKC wouldn’t exist at all if it wasn’t for breeders of purebred dogs and I feel like they could do a much better job of making events like the Agility Invitational a showcase for breeders who are preserving the functionality of their breeds.
Over the years I’ve competed in the AGI with 9 different PBGVs (Tigger, Chili, Salsa, C.C., Wally, Gromit, Spice, Alice, and Ginny) and one GBGV (Juno). Some years have been better than others for a lot of different reasons. Earlier this week, my photos app suggested this memory video from 2015, which was a lot of fun to watch.
Seeing Chili, Salsa, and Juno running again was awesome, but it also dawned on me that I don’t really remember how we did that year. Maybe that’s the thing to keep in mind with this kind of event, just have the moments with the dogs because that’s what you’ll remember after the dogs you are running today are gone.
I hope we’ll have some good runs this year. Spice has been running well at local trials, but Ginny and Alice have been more focused on motherhood than agility this year so I know I can’t ask much of them. Either way, I’ll be sure to get video of every run and buy lots of photos because I know I’ll want them someday.
Here are photos of all of the Clever Hounds who have competed at the AGI since 2006.
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