An inspirational
story...
 Anastasiia
Salo was born in Ukraine in 2009 where she lived with her mother in Kyiv until
the war. In 2020 they bought a puppy they called Chloe that was about to change
their lives. Anastasiia loved
teaching her tricks and obedience from videos on You-Tube. Then the war broke
out, and it was no longer safe to stay in their country. Amy Stratford nominated
for her for the prestigious YKC Person of the Year and here's why you should
vote for her.
In 2022 Anastasiia Salo and her
mother left their flat in Kiev and fled to Poland with minimal possessions,
but uncluding their their adored dog Chloe. They left behind their friends and family
including Anastasiia's grandparents, her great grandmother, her uncle and his
family and all their friends and neighbours from Ukraine.
After several months camping
out in refugee camps, they finally got visas under the Homes for Ukraine scheme
and arrived in Reading on 4th June 2022. While Anastasiia waited to be
registered in a local school, she spent time practising tricks with Chloe.
By chance, Anastasiia and her
mum came to live with a friend of mine called Dawn. At the time, I was Dawn's
obedience and agility trainer as well as her friend. She contacted me in July
because she was so impressed with Anastasiia's success at teaching Chloe trick
obedience. She thought that it would be lovely if I could teach her some
agility as well.
once Chloe had completed her period of
quarantine, Dawn brought them to my agility field. It was immediately obvious
that this girl not only had a passion for dog training but a natural ability,
too.
Both she and Chloe had endured
a lot during their long journey from the Ukraine to the UK. Sometimes Chloe
would run around like a pup and but she seemed to love agility. At other times, she would
completely shut down, especially in strange situations or if Anastasiia was at
all nervous or excited. You could say that she had PTSD.
 A
learning curve
Due
to my declining health, I suggested Anastasiia start running my Small German
Spitz Klein boy, Amos who, at the time, was very much a mummy's boy. I had to do distance
handling with him. As he wasn't competing with me anymore, I knew that he was considerably
slower than when he had won into G7 before Covid. Because of his age, some arthritis and a
slight handicap where part of his back foot had been removed due to injury, I wasn't sure how it would go,
but they bonded straight away.
It was Amos who taught
Anastasiia some great skills - not only of how to handle a dog in the ring but
outside as well.
As her confidence with Amos grew, she was able to help Chloe
more with her PTSD. That first year Chloe would shut down for reasons that we, as humans, could
not decipher, but Anastasiia always tried to remain upbeat and positive around
her dog. There were many tears, but never once did Anastasiia show
her frustration to Chloe.
An incredible journey
Meanwhile, in her first competing
year, she and Amos won the Masters, the top of the top competition held under A4A (then
UKA)
rules. She was the only Junior entered.
Together they have qualified for six finals,
two of which being A4A grand finals two years in a row. They also won the A4A Champ
Challenge, winter league 2024 and qualified for the Grand Final of the Masters series,
SWAT Teams final, qualifying for the Treateria Grand Prix and placing
3rd with an unlucky 5
faults, but having the fastest time by three
seconds. She also won the Junior Masters 2024.
 At
the A4A finals Amos was the oldest dog by 5+ years. Due to the way Anastasiia runs
him with so much confidence and positivity his disability and age didn't matter.
She has also won many G7 classes with him despite being the only child in the
class.
As Anastasiia grew in confidence so did
Chloe. They started competing with the same confidence that we saw in training at the field.
The shutdowns happened less
and less as Anastasiia found ways to manage the PTSD. We have never
had to use medication. It has all been done helping her with love and understanding.
When asked what she had learned
this last year, Anastasiia replied 'Much stronger bond with Chloe. Seeing
her gaining confidence and enjoying herself is very wonderful. This dog is
very special to me. Training and agility have helped me gain more confidence and
overall feel much better.'
Anastasiia and Chloe have now
reached Grade 3 with only one more win to go into G4. They have also qualified for
four finals - one of them being A4A Grand Finals where they showed what they are
capable of, winning the Agility round of their class.
The pair
have been invited to try out for the Junior Agility Team GB, but sadly, they are unable to
attend due to GCSE commitments and the necessity to renew their initial three
year visa shortly.
 Dawn and I have watched
Anastasiia's agility journey with awe. We have tried to encourage her with free training sessions and by taking her to competitions with
us. More recently she has
been helping me train one of my own crazy fast, Collie x German Spitz puppy
Delta Bean.
Working with Delta, she has
learned a lot of foundation skills which she never got to experience before as
well as how to keep up with Delta's physical and mental speed. This has made her love of agility
even bigger. These two are going to go all the way!
On occasion, Anastasiia has started teaching
for a local KC club and is doing so so well passing on her
knowledge and enthusiasm. Even when not teaching, she helps individuals when
they are struggling with certain parts of a routine.
 Crufts
2025
They have qualified for Crufts
in YKC Agility Dog of the Year (ADOTY) which was huge and caused lots of happy
tears all around. On the same day she also qualified Roger Brown's dog Bootsy for Crufts YKC Jumping Cup
despite having had only a few training sessions together. A very strong-minded dog, it
was all down to her natural skill that they got through.
Roger said, 'Anastasiia is a real credit to
her mum as a person. Having come through all that she has, she would never use that
as an excuse for anything. She is polite and unassuming, traits not often
associated with teenagers these days.
Considering that she had never done agility
before coming to this country, she has developed into an incredible handler in
just a couple of years - in no small way due to the teaching of her friend and trainer Amy
Stanford.'
Anastasiia is a
natural
It is not just me saying that. She has had a few training sessions
with various high-profile trainers who have been and/or are on the GB squad - but not
many due to the cost. She and her mother send money home to their family in
Ukraine to help with medical expenses etc so there isn't the time nor money for
non-essentials.
All have been in awe of her natural ability
and expressed how amazing this girl is, especially considering the worries that
she lives with on a daily basis. During her time here, her great grandmother
back in Ukraine died and her grandfather had a stroke, but she and her mother
have only been able to afford to go back for one visit as it is such a long
and difficult journey because of the no-fly zone over Ukraine and having to get a bus from
Poland.
Anastasiia lives each day knowing her family
could be killed. Her grandparents live on the eastern side of Ukraine, very near
the frontline and, at one point, her great-grandmother was behind enemy lines in
a Russian camp without adequate food or medication.
She is now 16 and in year 11 at school and
will soon be sitting her GCSEs. Unlike other girls her age, she will be doing
them in a second language, having studied in this country for less than three
years. All she cares about is training and her dog Chloe. She lives to make her
dog happy and to be the best agility handler she can be.
This girl is one of the strongest people I
know. She has been through so much and yet continues to be the most positive
handler she can possibly be. Sometimes the cracks show and she cries, but she
never allows her emotions to interfere with her dogs training and happiness.
Ask anyone who has ever seen her run. We
all wish we could be like her.
Show your support for
Anastasiia and the Ukraine by voting
here
About the author...
Amy Stanford is Anastasiia's trainer and friend.
First published 5th March 2025
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