Rebecca Jernigan - 2022 - Volunteer of the Year

Rebecca Jernigan, PhD, DVM candidate at University of Arizona, started agility training not long after she got her first dog, an Australian Shepherd, in 2012. After attending the European Open for Juniors (EOJ) as a competitor with Team USA, Rebecca was inspired to bring the camaraderie and teamwork she saw back home to Arizona and increase junior and young handler participation in the sport. She founded the first official agility club at Arizona State University in 2018 and worked with USDAA to create the Intercollegiate Dog Agility Association (IDAA) in 2019.

Since then, Rebecca has found a routine in agility practice amid the ebb and flow of schoolwork throughout the semester. While working on her studies at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine, she competes with 8-year-old Kya, who has been her dog since high school, and 2-year-old Rose, who joined the family when Rebecca started graduate school. They focus heavily on the foundations everyone can do in their living room, and Rebecca finds that “anything and everything that happens in the ring is a bonus.”

Rebecca understands that agility is a social event for every handler, especially the student athletes competing in IDAA, and she is constantly looking for new ways agility might benefit herself and her dogs. She loves cultivating friendships with others experiencing the same challenges, whether in school or in the ring.