Lori Ward - 1999 - Pioneer of Dog Agility

Lori Ward of Ridgefield, Conn., played a leading role in introducing agility to Tucson, Arizona, as well as to the Connecticut/New York area in the 1990s.

Lori first read about agility in Great Britain in the mid-to late 1980s in Front & Finish magazine and wanted to try it. Her husband helped her build some equipment, and she attended a USDAA® clinic in Southern California with her Siberian husky, Kushka. She returned to Tucson eager to share her excitement about the sport and organized the first USDAA trial there in February 1990. 

A few months later, Lori moved to Connecticut, where she and Anne Smith started Contact Agility Club, a USDAA club that introduced the sport to the Connecticut/New York area. Contact Agility Club held its first trial in July 1991. Lori organized demonstrations for the public and training seminars for club members, instructed training classes and sessions on how to hold a trial, and also served as training director, president and trial secretary for many years. 

Lori’s role in spreading enthusiasm for and encouraging participation in the sport in the earliest years and having lasting impact on the sport earned her the Pioneer of Dog Agility honor.