Team GB chosen for World Agility finals

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THE KENNEL Club has announced the team which will be representing Great Britain at the Agility World Championships in Helsinki from September 26 to 28.
The team will be heading to the championships hoping to bring home a win.
The three-day competition is held under FCI rules with pedigree dogs from about 40 countries taking part.
After last week’s tough team qualifier, the following dogs and handlers have qualified for each of the three categories:
Large team:
• David Alderson with Border Collie, Ag Ch Waggerland Spice;
• Lesley Olden with Border Collie, Ag Ch Waggerland Wow of Nedlo;
• Karen Stanbrook with Border Collie, Dreamarkis Daydreamer.

Medium Team:
• Alan Gardner with Border Collie, Touchango Again Girl;
• Angela Williams with Border Collie, Withersfarm Perfect Ten;
• Natasha Wise with Border Collie, Raeannes Flippingada.
Small team:
• David Alderson with Toy Poodle, Ag Ch Steelthorn Rum Truffle;
• Nicola Garrett with Shetland Sheepdog, Ag Ch Obay Truly Driven;
• Rachel Mowbray with Border Terrier, Laurelton Winter Nutmeg.
“The championships should be a great event, and we wish the team the very best of British,” said KC spokesman Caroline Kisko.

Festival

Yet more agility action can be seen from today when British hopefuls compete at the KC’s International Agility Festival in Peterborough. Winners there will qualify to compete at Crufts next year. For the first time, the best of Britain’s agility competitors represented the KC at the European Open Championships in Germany recently after making it through the tough qualifying series. The 30-strong team of dogs and handlers were pitched against 650 dogs from 30 other European countries in a bid to take the coveted European Agility Championship title.
Leah Gardner and working sheepdog Herbie gained a silver medal in the individual championships for large dogs; Bernadette Bay and Shetland Sheepdog Hex picked up a bronze in the individual championships for small dogs and Marc Saunders and working sheepdog Dash came a creditable sixth in the final for large dogs.
There was further bronze medal success in the large team championships, comprising Anthony Clarke, 16, with Collie/Belgian Shepherd cross Maggie; Lee Gibson, 23, with Border Collie Jack; Katie Mitchell, 18, with Border Collie Rocky; and Marc Saunders with Dash again.
To add to Britain’s roll of honour, Andy Sandercock and Ten, a Border Collie, won the individual medium jumping round and Nigel Staines and Australian Kelpie Zico were fourth in the individual large agility round. It was the first time the KC has sponsored a team in the competition.
“We are very proud of the team’s results,” Mrs Kisko said. “The team achieved great success.”