A dog and handler begin their run in the Friday steeplechase competition at the Alberta and Northwest Territories Regional Championships.--News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Medicine Hat’s own Flashing Canines Agility Club is thrilled to be hosting this year’s Alberta and Northwest Territories Regional Championships for the Agility Association of Canada.
Competitors and their four-legged friends began gathering at the Redcliff ball diamonds on Friday for the first series of competitions, testing both the swiftness of the dogs as well as their handler’s ability to control and guide them without the use of a leash.
Roughly 220 competitors are here to participate, both locally and from across the region, said Sandra Le Page, Flashing Canines club member and volunteer with the event.
“We last hosted regionals seven years ago in 2018, I believe,” said Le Page. “Every year the clubs can apply to host regionals. So it brings in money for the club, and then it brings in money to the city, since there’s all the competitors, and on site there’s vendors here, there’s food trucks, so it brings in money out here to Redcliff as well.”
Those who do well at their regional competition or a neighbouring event should they be unable to attend the one in their region, can then go on to nationals, which will be hosted later this year in Ontario.
The event will run throughout the entire weekend, with competitions starting at 9 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. The event is open to the public, however fellow club member Nicole Ehmann asks that the public not bring any non-competing dogs to the ball diamond for the event.
“A lot of these dogs are very high energy, and while they’re all well trained, they might get reactive. You get this cute little dog and they got on a loose leash, and it just’s not a good idea,” said Ehmann.
Both Le Page and Ehmann expressed gratitude to club president Michelle Larson for all of her hard work to make the space ready for the competition, and to all of the volunteers both in and out of the club who pitched in for setup and takedown.
