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Addicted to agility and doodles...
 Mention
agility to anyone and most people think of fast, sporty, Border Collies speeding
their way around a course. Most of us in the know, however, also appreciate that
special gang of dogs known as ‘ABCs’ (Anything But Collies). Joanne Harker has
just reached five years of competing within Kennel Club competitions and still
doesn't own a Border Collie. Now she's standing
for the Kennel Club
Agility Liaison Council in the North East, and
has taken the time to reflect on how her life has changed during those years.
When we got our first dog, I don’t think I’d
ever really thought about agility. Possibly I’d seen it on the TV but that’s
about it. I was a typical, naïve, first-time dog owner. I didn’t think about
breed, or what I’d want to do with a dog. Then I met a Cockapoo (Cocker Spaniel
x Poodle), fell in love and had to have one. Three weeks later we picked up
Freddie, a bundle of black fluff that was about to change our lives!
One thing I did know when we got a dog, was
that I wanted to train it. I’d had a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel growing up
that I’d always wanted to train and wasn’t allowed. So, off we duly went to
puppy classes with Freddie. That got me into further training, so when the
training centre said they were starting puppy agility classes and did I fancy
it. Of course, I said ‘yes’.
Fast forward just under two years, and my
trainer said I might be ready for some 'little competitions.' So I Googled
agility shows, ended up on Agilitynet and entered the Weardale show. About the
same time, I joined South Durham Agility Club.
Our first ever run was in an Olympia ABC
qualifier … oops! Of course, we got eliminated, but I had caught the bug and
started competing more and more. It took a few months to settle in but we soon
started climbing the grades, with Freddie currently in Grade 5 (Large).
 I
clearly have an addictive personality because, as well as getting the agility
bug, I soon started collecting more Poodle crosses (aka Doodles.) Six months
after getting Freddie, we rescued a tiny Cockapoo puppy from Many Tears rescue,
a little blonde girl that we called Darcey. She competes too and is currently in
Grade 6 (Small). A year later Jasper, a Labradoodle, joined the family. I’ve
also got a youngster, who has just started competing, another Cockapoo called
Matilda. She has made Grade 5 within two months, so I am very excited about her
future!
And am I tempted by a collie? Erm … I’ll
stick with my curly gang for now!
So, my addiction
with agility continues.
I have made many great friends in the agility community.
I took my judging exams in November 2011,
just over a year after I started competing, and I’m in my fourth year of judging
at KC shows, mainly in the North of England. I love judging and seeing some
wonderful partnerships progress.
I am currently the Chair of South Durham Dog
Agility Club, and am standing for election for the Kennel Club's Agility Liaison
Council. If elected, I look forward to getting 'stuck in' with some of the
issues facing our sport / hobby today, and representing the views of the North
East region.
 About
the author...
Joanne Harker lives in the North East with her husband and four ‘doodles’
– Freddie, Darcey and Matilda the Cockapoos, and Jasper the Labradoodle.
She set up the Doodle Agility League but
handed it over to the Doodle Trust who unfortunately are not running it this
year. She was also founder of the Northern Doodles, a group of Doodle owners in
the North East who get together for walks and social occasions.
I
By day Jo is a civil servant, but spends as
much time as possible outside of work hours enjoying the dogs with training,
competing and judging agility. Her other passion is treading the boards with
her local theatre company, Darlington Operatic Society. She has just started as
a volunteer scanner for Harvey's Army.
First published 24 July 2015
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