3rd Runner Up

OTCH Highfields Gone Flying UDX2 RN NA NAJ Shetland Sheepdog – Owner: Mary Jane Kelley

In 1977 when the OTCH title came into being I was a working Mom with four

nearly grown children. I competed in obedience with my homebred 8 yr old

Sheltie “Duffy” who had 25 HIT’s and two perfect scores, but was nearing the

end of his career. Had the OTCH been retroactive he would have earned it long

before, but I felt he deserved it and was determined to get it. It took two years

and was not much fun, but in the summer of 1979 he became the first Sheltie in

Florida to earn that title and I was actually the first woman to do so in our state.

My next competition dog- I’ve only had six dogs in the past 30 years - was a

Champion Standard Schnauzer that a friend, Mary Stossel, entrusted to me,

hoping I could take her to a U.D. She was elated when “Mindy” also earned an

OTCH in 1986. Another very close friend, Anna Whiting, wanted to get me

back into Shelties and gave me a blue merle female puppy who I named

“Crystal”. She turned out to be my nemesis. Long story short, I retired “Crystal”

from obedience with 85 OTCH points and all required firsts. Go figure. I vowed

that I would never have another Sheltie! My husband Mike bought me a gorgeous Standard Schnauzer male puppy

for my birthday. Just a few weeks later Mike died suddenly from heart failure. The puppy, named “Power”, achieved

his breed championship before he turned 7 months old. He was also my first UDX dog with a few OTCH points, but

my situation didn’t allow me to campaign him very much. When I lost my protector, “Mindy” at age 16 ½ I

suddenly felt vulnerable. So I bought a German Shepherd who I named “Zetta She’s So Bad” because she was a holy

terror! I trained her early before she could grow too big to handle. I started dating Dick Mansell, a fellow dog club

member and friend and together with his two Border Collies we attended many dog shows. Dick’s older border

collie, “Chips” was already an OTCH dog and he was working with his son “Joff”.

When I retired we sold our respective homes in So. Florida and bought a house together in Ocala. “Power” stayed

with Dick’s son. Both “Zetta” and “Joff” earned their OTCH’s on a beautiful trip to the Northwest. I started doing

agility with “Zetta” and as usual she learned quickly. Every dog trainer should have a dream dog like her once in his

life. Unfortunately when we were going for her MX and MXJ titles she developed back problems and had to be

retired. That was a sad day, but I’m happy to say she is still enjoying life at nearly twelve. I needed a new puppy

and we only had room for a small breed in our motor home. So we got “Harry” from my friend Anna Whiting, even

though I had vowed No more Shelties! Both of Dick’s border collies had passed on but he had a wonderful rescue

border collie named “Hop” who was doing very well in obedience and became Dick’s 3rd

OTCH dog. He was so

happy to “catch up” to me, but since I only finish one dog per decade, that wasn’t hard to do! “Harry” is my new

Millennium dog. He is the most delightful little guy and has many fans in Florida. His full name is OTCH Highfields

Gone Flying, UDX2, NA, NAJ, RN and now that he has placed at the National Obedience Invitational we are

especially proud of him. It was a thrill to have both our dogs invited this year and we had a spectacular time. I hope

that sometime soon the NOI will come to a closer location and we get invited! Oh, and Dick has another rescue

border collie,” Lucy,” and she will not make it easy for him to catch up to me again!

2nd Runner Up OTCH Lakebound’s Dancing Poet VCD1 UDX RE JH

Labrador Retriever – Owner: Renate Van Allen

Pindar, also known as OTCH Lakebound's Dancing Poet UDX2 VCD1 JH is

proof to me that we always get the right dog at the right time. When I was

looking for a puppy I was interested in a dog similar to my first two Lab boys,

Tonda and Simba. I was looking for high drive, a dog with lots of stamina and a

dog that's maybe a little on the wild side. It took me a long time to create the

necessary focus for obedience in Simba (NOC OTCH ChaseAbout's Dances

With Lions UDX12 JH MX MXJ), but in the end I loved the partner I had in the

ring, always ready to push, never mentally or physically tired. When I first

heard about Pindar's breeding I wasn't sure I would get the dog I was wishing

for. Even though there are field dogs and performance Labs in the background,

there is also a fair amount of show dogs in the lines, very different from the

Labs I was used to. Thankfully the breeder, Lynn Stahl, was very patient with

all my questions. She explained that her dogs aren't wild, but that they do have

drive, and that they're very biddable and easy to work with. I enjoy working

with different types of dogs, which is part of the reason why I enjoy training my

Australian Cattle Dogs, too, and decided to trust that this puppy would be fun, no matter what his personality would

turn out to be. I picked up Pindar in New Jersey when he was 8 weeks old, and I know I made the right decision. I

want to thank Lynn for trusting me with this very special boy.

Pindar is the easiest dog I've ever lived with, and he's a joy to train. While he's outgoing and friendly he's also

extremely loyal. He has a strong personality, and is very good at communicating without being too pushy. His very

favorite thing to do is cuddling, though swimming and running in the woods is a close second. A few months after

Pindar arrived I started having problems with muscle weakness. The problems progressed from my hands to my

arms and legs, and Pindar soon proved to be a valuable help in everyday life. He learned to help me get up when I

fall, and he carries things for me when my hands give out. He certainly has a silly side, but in public he behaves

very well, and his easy going personality turned out to be exactly what I needed. Even his small size, something I

wasn't used to in my Labs, turned out to be an advantage as he accompanies me everywhere I go.

When Pindar was little we started training him in tracking and field, and he earned his TD and JH when he was

around a year old. I did a little agility with him, too, and of course we started to play early on with obedience.

Pindar's strong side is his focus and willingness to please; his weak side that he needs time to build his confidence in

everything new he learns. When he was a little over a year old he decided that slippery floors are extremely scary.

He was even nervous in fully matted rings, and wouldn't go near the outside edges of the rings. Gaps between the

mats were just as dangerous in his opinion. Rally was a great opportunity for Pindar to go into a ring, and get lots

and lots of help while he was getting used to our typical show situations, with mats over slick concrete floors. When

Pindar was 2 years old he seemed ready for Novice, and I picked a small outdoors show and a couple of obedience

trials in a horse arena to see how well he would work without the worry of mats. He surprised me with very

consistent performances, and he seemed to enjoy heeling inside the ring just as much as he loves it in training. We

slowly started showing in matted rings, and while he was wary at the time, Pindar was building his confidence with

every show we entered. He showed about 8 times in Novice, then we moved on to Open and a month later to

Utility.

All this happened in the last year, and earning enough points for an invitation to the NOI was just a dream. Pindar

earned his UD in February, and we started showing combined in March. At that point Pindar was still pretty

confused between Open and Utility exercises, but he usually was able to keep it together in the ring. It was very

exciting to receive Pindar's invitation in the mail! At 3 years old he's my youngest dog to show at an NOI, though I

have had the pleasure of showing 5 different dogs at the NOI to this date, three Labradors and two Australian Cattle

Dogs. I'm very proud of Pindar for doing so well at his first NOI, in spite of his inexperience and lack of maturity.

We certainly had fun together, and he seemed to try his best to fill in for his big brother Simba, who had to skip the

event because of an injury.

I want to thank AKC for holding this very special event, and everyone involved for the hard work that goes into

organizing this competition. Every year I get to go I appreciate the wonderful sportsmanship of the exhibitors and

the excellent quality of the competing teams. The NOI is the event many of us work towards all year long, and I

hope it will keep going strong for a long time.

1st Runner Up OTCH MACH2 Sanew’s Abundance Of Energy UDX

Poodle – Owner: Shirley Barkan

My name is Shirley Barkan and I am a retired graphic designer. I live in

Cinnaminson, New Jersey, a stone’s throw from Philadelphia, with my husband

Michael and three miniature poodles.

I became involved in dog training in 1992 when I purchased my first dog. The

breeder suggested that I take him to an obedience class. She said, “Trust me, you

both will benefit, since you don’t know anything about raising a dog.” She was

right; that was the beginning of my involvement in dog training, and life hasn’t

been the same since.

I have put AKC obedience and agility championships (OTCH’s and MACH’s),

as well as UDX’s on all four of my poodles. In addition, I have titled a friend’s

two Belgian Tervurens in agility. One of them completed her MX and MXJ titles

and the other I am hoping will eventually earn a MACH.

I was involved in starting an agility club, SOJAC (South Jersey Agility Club). I

served as its president and secretary for a number of years. I have been in charge of some “fun” matches that were

held as fund-raisers, and helped set up a number of seminars for my fellow dog handlers/owners. I am also a member

of an obedience club, Lower Camden County Dog Training Club, and I have served that club as Vice- President.

I enjoy the relationship that is formed between me and my dogs when I train and show them. Watching my dogs

have fun keeps me enthusiastic.

Also, I am a competitive person and I relish striving for that perfect run. On October 30, 2004, Apple, my third

miniature poodle, earned a 200 score out of the Open B class at the Back Mountain Kennel Club under judge Ruth

Brader. In 2006, Apple was the number one poodle in agility and also number one in the non-sporting group.

Abby, my fourth miniature poodle, is a happy dog. She wakes up wanting to play. Her favorite game is retrieving a

ball, any ball, all the time. That’s how she got her name, “Abundance of Energy.” She completed her Novice, Open

and Utility titles in one year, and, two months later, earned her OTCH. By the end of that year, she had a UDX3 and

over 500 OTCH points. At the same time, in Agility, she went from earning her Novice titles to a MACH in 10

months. A year later, she had a MACH3. Abby was first in the non-sporting group and the 1st Runner-Up at the

2007 AKC National Obedience Invitational in Long Beach, CA. We look forward to returning to the Invitational in

the future.

2007 AKC National Obedience Champion

NOC OTCH Dd’s Dreams Do Come True UDX4 RE TDX JH Golden Retriever – Owners: Dee Dee and Billy Anderson

“Dream”

Dream is a four year old Golden Retriever that is owner/breeder/handled and trained

by the Anderson’s. Dream came from a litter of eight puppies and tried to be top

puppy but was always on the bottom of the pile. If Dream could talk as a puppy she

would have said to her littermates “you are not suppose to be doing that, you are going

to get in trouble” and they would reply “come on, no one is watching”, and hearing

that, Dream would join in on the fun.

Dream is spoiled and because of that it seems that she always gets to have it her way

around the house. We have a saying around our house, which is: “Who’s in charge?

Dreamie Pie Pie”

Dream is a comedian, but she always wants to please you. Her demeanor is so easy to

read, you know when she is confused, serious, mad, and happy. She is always up for

an adventure, especially going to dog shows and she loves it when someone wants to

pet her and tell her she is good. Dream is a great ambassador for obedience; she loves

to show off her happy feet heeling and make everyone laugh.

Dream is also a therapy dog and visits a local rest home often. She is now their mascot. We have a hard time leaving

there because Dream enjoys all the love and affection she receives when she is there. She also knows when someone

is ill and will be very calm around them. Dream is a good teacher of life and gets to the heart of many. She helps

people believe that Dreams Do Come True!