450 dogs compete in agility trials in Niles

August 19, 2012 at 6:06p.m.

Staff report

NILES

The Ralph A. Infante Wellness Center has hosted its share of athletic events, things were different this weekend. This time, highly-trained competitors raced on four legs instead of two—competitors like Gilley, an 8-year-old border collie who weaved in and out of poles, raced through small tunnels and easily handled running on a teeter-totter.

“Gilley is a four-time masters agility champion,” said the dog’s owner, Mike Holman, Edinboro, Pa., who ran alongside his dog and tried to catch his breath after Gilley successfully completed the agility course. “He’s been doing this forever,” Holman said.

The two-day agility trials, sanctioned by the American Kennel Club, drew around 450 dogs and their owners from as far as Maryland, New York and West Virginia. A few owners set up mobile homes and RVs on the grounds near the center and the adjacent swimming pool.

“People go to these trials every weekend and they’re big time into this, said Sandy Irish, Cortland, trial chair and a member of the Youngstown All Breed Training Club, the event sponsor. “They enjoy the competition because they want to have one of the top dogs in the country.”

In the agility trials, the dog, running without a leash, follows cues from its handler in navigating an obstacle course of tunnels, poles and jumps, some as high as 20 inches.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.