Safety first but the fun will follow...
 Kerry
Rhodes started her agility journey with two Rhodesian Ridgebacks - Axl (6 years)
and Rain (12 months) – both entire males. Initially it was meant to something
they could do together - just as a bit of fun with no intention of ever
competing. She looked for quite some time for a club who would allow them to
join them but,
as soon as you mentioned the
breed, people weren't interested or didn't even bother returning her phone
calls. Eventually, she found East Yorkshire Agility Club (EYAC) and was invited
to one of their Sunday morning club sessions to have a go. She
has never looked back and has now been competing with her boys for six years.
As soon as we arrived the buzz was infectious. There
were lots of different breeds in the Beginners class - not just Collies - and
for that, I felt very relieved as thus far I really had felt about as welcome as
rattlesnake in a lucky dip in the agility world. I appreciate that to most
people Ridgebacks aren't the usual first choice for agility, but I didn't choose
the dog for the hobby. I chose the hobby once I already had the dog, so that
wasn't about to put me off.
Ridgebacks are clever, autonomous, agile and have a
high prey drive so I figured running, jumping and belting about would suit them
down to the ground. Add their ability to learn cues and hand signals
fairly quickly, I didn't see why we shouldn't at least give it a whirl.
 After
a couple of taster sessions, we decided this was the hobby for us so I arranged
for Axl and Rain to have their hips and elbows scored under x-ray to ensure
their joints would be sound enough to jump and take the forces of the sport.
My
boys weigh in at around 40kg so it was imperative that their joints could take
the strain. Sadly, Rain's results were not as good as I would have wished and I
wasn't prepared to take a risk with his mobility and decided not to pursue the
hobby with him. Axl, however, had smashing scores and so we set our sights to
learning how to do it properly.
After a year of attending EYAC for training once a
week, we put in for a G1 Jumping run at Dog Vegas in Thetford. Many people may
know me as the owner of Rhodes 2 Safety Canine First Aid Training and my reason
for choosing Dog Vegas Thetford for our debut was solely because I was teaching
a session there that weekend.
Some would say we were not ready
I would certainly say I had no idea what I was doing,
where I should be going, how to book in, what a running order was or any other
thing, but I did know how to count the number of obstacles and jumps! The
nerves that day were incredible. How can you possibly feel so terrified doing
something that is supposed to be fun? We finally worked out that we needed a
running order and booked in. We took our place in the queue behind
about a gazillion black and whites and a few hundred spaniels. It was clear
when looking around that a Ridgeback was something of a novelty, and I lost count
of the number of times throughout the day that I heard people saying 'Oh, I
think it's a Ridgeback. You don't see many of those do you?'
After
our first run ever, it soon became apparent why you don't see many Ridgebacks
running! As I said, Ridgebacks are extremely clever and autonomous and tend
towards deciding for themselves how best to run a course so our first run was,
shall we say, interesting. Of course, we got E'd. Of course, we got the obstacles
in the wrong order. Of course, I forgot a bit where I was supposed to be going, but man did we have a blast! We loved every single second of it from the
bonding, the excitement, the adrenaline and even the jangling nerves. We were
very definitely hooked!
 Over
time we got better
We began competing regularly at indoor and outdoor venues and, though people began to recognise us a little bit, still we would hear them
expressing surprise to see us and that expectant look in their eyes as they'd
come over to watch and have a laugh at the big crazy ginger dog.
And Axl was
funny. He loved being the fool and getting the laughs. He'd stop on the dog
walk and make sure he had an audience. He'd beat me up on the finish line out
of sheer exuberance.
Once he got so excited with what he thought was the final
straight of jumps that he just kept on running, left the ring, left the ménage
and carried on right out into the horse fields beyond. He left me, standing
perplexed with the judge in the ring. I looked at her, she at me, and we both
shrugged our shoulders. I put my fingers in my mouth and whistled a sharp
recall blast at which he spun round, careered back to the ring, over the A-frame
and finished off the run perfectly. As always, I turned to the judge as I left
the ring to thank her and she said that the day had started way too early,
needing to drive way too many miles to get there, it was way too cold, her feet
hurt and she had a headache, but watching the sheer joy on Axl's face as he
legged it back into the ring made it all worth while and that that was what she
liked about agility. Every dog is welcome. Every dog has flare, skills and
downsides and you never know how they will choose to perform on the day.
Axl went on to gain his
Agility Warrant Bronze after
two years and became only the second Rhodesian Ridgeback in the UK to gain an
agility title. His son Chi (Khamioka
Born Sweet Child of Metalrock) began at foundation level as soon as possible and
picked it up much faster than his father. Whether he has more of an aptitude
for agility or, more likely, I have slightly more idea what I'm supposed to be
doing now, is anybody's guess but he is currently half way to going G6 so I
guess we are doing something right.
Agility Ridgies
Because my boys loved it so much, we set up a Facebook group
Agility Ridgies where Ridgebacks
handlers with an interest or
curiosity about agility could talk to other like-minded people. We meet up in
Melton Mowbray once every eight weeks with
Alisa
Atkins of Active Dogz, a trainer who works with us and has now
become the 'Agility Ridgeback Whisperer.'
The ART (Agility Ridgies Team) League
is now in it's 4th year and the number of ginger ninjas taking up the hobby is
testament to the fact that they can indeed do it, if and when they feel so
inclined.
If you would like to join us, please find us on our Agility Ridgies
FB group – the group is free but fees to join the league are just £5 per dog, and
all the money goes straight to
www.RidgebackRescue.co.uk
 About
the author...
Kerry Rhodes is owner and MD of
Rhodes 2 Safety, voted the UK's
number one canine first aid training company for three years running.
She's
had dogs since she was 13 years of age, starting with Labradors and moving on to
Rhodesian Ridgebacks, her real first love, in 2006. She saw, and fell in love
with, her first Ridgeback when she was just six years old and knew that one day
she would have her own.
Kerry had a very handsome pack of three boys but sadly she lost Axl, at age 12, in October. She
is hoping to
stud Chi, Axl's son, at the end of the year and continue his line and and the
agility adventure with the baby.
Kerry
is the Chair of Ridgeback Rescue. Along side her first aid work, she puts
all her energies into rescue and support for her fabulous breed. Since Axl
passed in October, she haven't competed in agility but is hoping to be back to
it now that the weather is behaving itself a little better.
Keep
an eye out for the Agility Ridgies at the Dog Vegas competitions in the Midlands / North of
England. She'll be the mad blonde woman showing herself up with the big ginger
doofus!
First published
19th
April 2019
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