Though New Jersey dogs accounted for the largest group of competitors at the 2017 Westminster Masters Agility Championship, the prize for top dog has again eluded Garden State pups.
Trick, a border collie handled by John Nys of Pascoag, R.I., was no one-trick pony. He dashed, jumped and bob-and-weaved to victory at the agility competition — arguably the most animated part of the New York dog show — on Saturday at Pier 94, the final of which aired Sunday night on FS1.
The dog is in good company. Border collies have now won the competition in three out of four years.
Added to the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in 2014 to reflect the growing popularity of the dog sport, the agility contest relies on close communication between dog and handler, requiring dogs to jump through hoops and over hurdles, navigate through weave polls, walk up and down a steep ramp, careen through tunnels and balance on top of teeters (seesaw-like structures).
Watch Border Collie, Trick, Win 2017 Masters Agility Championship | FOX SPORTS
The timed obstacle course is also one of the few portions of Westminster open to mixed-breed dogs. Crush, a speckled former shelter dog from American Canyon, Calif., who finished the course in 34.87 seconds, won agility’s special award for mixed-breed dogs.
Dogs compete for speed in various classes — 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24-inch — determined by their jump height. Trick came out on top in the 20-inch class with a time of 32.65 seconds.
Of 330 dogs entered in the competition, 94 were from New Jersey. The 50 top-performing dogs make it to the agility final.
Mia, a beagle in the 12-inch class owned by Natalie Fisher of Medford, had the audience laughing when she stopped in the middle of the course to sniff her own behind.
Dylan, a cavalier King Charles spaniel owned by Stephen Anderson of Edgewater Park, and Jett, a schipperke owned by Joseph Sangenito of Pompton Plains, also competed in the 12-inch class.
Barbara Kerensky of Ocean and her Portuguese water dog, Jackson, again competed in the final’s 20-inch category. So did Sha La La, an Australian shepherd owned by Michael Davis of Washington Township, who came in second place in the group.
#Agility is the fastest growing dog sport in United States. #WKCDogShow pic.twitter.com/j8aRzh8Fmz
— Westminster Dog Show (@WKCDOGS) February 12, 2017
Delilah, a Yorkshire terrier owned by Lori Brady of Far Hills, and Gracie, a cavalier King Charles spaniel owned by Rebecca Potosky of Allentown, two dogs in last year’s final, made the cut again in the 8-inch class.
Hijack, a border collie owned by Marianne Wurst of Lebanon and CeCe, a lagotto Romagnolo owned by Diane Goodspeed of Far Hills, made the final’s 16-inch class.
In the 24-inch class, Fire, a Doberman pinscher owned by Teresa Byron of Blairstown, came in fourth place. Also competing in the class was MoAna, a curly-coated retriever from Jackson owned by Donna Branco.
In 2016, Holster, an Australian shepherd from Greenwich, N.Y., won the agility competition with a time of 35.1 seconds. In 2015, Tex, a border collie from Long Valley, triumphed with a lightning-fast 30.93 seconds. But the inaugural agility competition had the fastest time yet — Kelso, a border collie from Cape Elizabeth, Me., managed to scramble to victory in just 28.44 seconds.
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.
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