Fun

Rescue Dogs Bust Shelter Pup Stigma By Competing in Agility Trials

Written by: Stephanie Valente

September 25, 2015

Shelter dogs are awesome and inspiring. Sadly, there is a lot of stigma surrounding them. Many people believe that rescue dogs don’t have the same potential as pups from reputable breeders.

This weekend, former shelter dogs are about to prove those people wrong. Many of them are participating in the Dogs on Course in North America (DOCNA) National Dog Agility Championships in Carbondale, Colorado and Stephentown, New York. The event is free for the public to watch.

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We’re thrilled to see shelter pups competing and having fun in an agility trial. One owner, Bill Lukes, summed up our feelings pawfectly in the Post Independent:

“Seeing rescued dogs competing in agility shows people the potential of these dogs.”

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Bill Lukes will also be watching his Collie, Jackson, excitedly enjoy himself at this weekend’s festivities.

Rescue dogs come from a variety of backgrounds and each pup has his/her own individual life story. No matter what their histories are, all dogs of all shapes and sizes can grow from love, stability, and happiness.

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These wonderful shelter dogs can participate in a medley of courses, including warm ups, traditional gamblers, and snakes n’ ladders. And we can all think of a fun loving pup or two, who pawsitively loves to jump!

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All dogs are wonderful, but there’s just something special about shelter dogs. By highlighting shelter dogs for these agility courses, DOCNA shows how truly amazing they can be. Keira Clarke, a volunteer, became involved with this event because of Bill Lukes and his pup Jackson. Clarke offers this profound insight on why shelter dogs are excellent contenders for agility, adoption, and homes:

“I don’t think a lot of people know what shelter dogs can do. I just think there are a lot of negative stereotypes about shelter dogs, and a lot of people don’t realize they have this potential. But when you give a dog a job, he’s going to excel at it.”

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Let’s all watch these dogs be pupmazing and excel!

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For more information on Dogs on Course in North America events near you, go to this calendar.

H/t via Post Independent

Featured image via @agileagility

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Written by: Stephanie Valente

September 25, 2015

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