Never give up...

Brenda Vanner started her agility journey in 2001 at the age of 52. She was doing obedience training in an equestrian centre on the Isle of Wight when she noticed some agility training taking place in another part of the venue. Right then and there, she decided that agility looked more like her cup of tea. This is a story of hard work and determination – and a lot of fun along the way.

My first agility dog Molly, Beardie X Border Collie, was an honest little dog but, as the jumps were much higher then, she struggled. She did, however, get me my first Kennel Club (KC) clear round rosette. Next came Spud, a blue merle collie rescue from Valgrays. He never won a KC class, but he did get me to the finals at Dogs in Need twice.

I then moved away from collies for a while to a Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla called Millie. She was not a natural agility dog, especially as she was scared of the seesaw! Against all the odds, however, she did get me my first KC win at Jumping.

At the age of five years old, however, she decided that decided that agility was definitely not for her. That year KCI was rained off and she did not go over a one jump all week at DINAS.

Though I loved watching my club mates winning runs and was genuinely pleased for them, but at the same time, I was also a little envious. Quite often I would come away from a show saying I might as well give up, but my enjoyment of the sport kept me going.

Luckily when Millie decided agility was not for her, I had just acquired a young Border Collie that was showing great potential.

Then my world changed
Bess was just six months old when we got her. To be honest, she has not been the easiest dog. Like many collies, she can be aggressive at times. Once she got into agility, however, she came into her own, and she absolutely loves it.

Now when we are at a show, all she wants to do is be in the ring. I'd never had a dog like that before. Once we were camped once near a ring, and she just sat in the garden watching the dogs compete. We reckoned that she could have run the course on her own by the end of the class.

With Bess's speed and the size of today's courses, I had to learn to do some distance handling. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had a chance. I've also had to teach her stopping contacts to give me time to catch up!

Truth be told, I've had my moments of wondering if I would ever get beyond Grade 1, but we have now made it to Grade 7 with a little help from my granddaughter Emma when I was unable to train or run at shows due to an injury. I enjoyed watching her being handled by other people. Luckily, they never had a win with her. That was left for me.

In December 2024, we are due to compete in our first Championship show at our home club.

Looking back
Some things have changed over the last 23 years but the fundamentals of enjoying and spending time with your dog(s) hasn't. They have no idea of what grade they are in or in which order the numbers should be taken. They just want to please.

During that time, the jump heights have been lowered twice and the fourth height of Intermediate has been added. I'd love to see more fun classes e.g. Pairs, One dog Two handlers and Gamblers, although I realise that most shows don't have the time to put these runs in now.

I am concerned that the Kennel Club is letting shows near each other run on the same weekend which means classes are often very small; and lots of clubs have stopped holding shows as they are no longer viable, but overall I love agility and all the lovely people we have met along the way.

I still enjoy ring partying at shows and giving something back to the sport we love. I've also learned a lot by watching others, and seeing whole families competing and all genders and ages going head to head against each other is fantastic.

My message to you
If you feel that you are never going to move up the grades, don't give up. Enjoy running your dogs, and eventually success will come. Quite often people say that they hope they are still able to compete at my age. I've even been told I'm their inspiration, which is nice.

By the way, did I mention that I was 75 years old in August, and I hope to continue for a few more years yet – body willing.

Thank you again to my fantastic trainers who have always been encouraging and told me I could do it.

About the author...
Brenda Vanner grew up in the Albany Park/Sidcup area which in the day was in Kent. She always had dogs as a child, and she's had dogs all her adult life.

She started at Tunbridge Wells & District Canine Society in 2003 and still trains there with Sam Davies. She also trains with Hazel Hicks at her venue.

Brenda and her husband Ted are now retired. Their two dogs, Millie and Bess, are their reason to get up and go out in the mornings. They normally walk about 5-6k every day, come wind or shine.

First published 21st November 2024

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