Shawn Cossart - 2025 - Meritorious Service

Shawn Cossart of Heart of Texas (HOT) Dog Sports has been an active participant in USDAA^® since 1996, running everything from Jack Russell Terriers to Border Collies as a competitor and working hard as a trainer and trial secretary. After moving from California to Dripping Springs, Texas, in the early 2000s, she saw the need for a facility catering to the local Texas community and founded HOT Dog Sports in 2008 to offer classes, workshops, seminars and eventually trials.

Since then, Shawn has recommended USDAA to all her students and helped them get started with the organization. She runs HOT Dog Sports’ trials and those of local clubs as a trial secretary and is always quick to offer “rarer” classes such as Team and Biathlon. Additionally, she has hosted USDAA’s South Central Regional Championship at HOT Dog Sports for several years, as well as special one- and two-day trials in August 2025 to give competitors a last-ditch opportunity to qualify for the Cynosport® World Games presented by Purina® Pro Plan®. 

Often one of the first people onsite for a trial and one of the last to leave, Shawn shares her love for the sport with her three Border Collies as well as a retired Pug and Miniature American Shepherd. Her longtime and ongoing efforts as a supporter and advocate for USDAA have earned her a place in the Hall of Fame with its 2025 Meritorious Service Award.