A Pioneer’s Journey: Elizabeth Blanchard
Reflections on competition, friendship and passion
This article was originally published in the June 2026 OVERview digital magazine.
A 2020 Hall of Fame Pioneer of Dog Agility, Elizabeth Blanchard looks back on her journey in the sport, from seeing her first Nationals in 1990 to decades of competition, friendship and passion that still drive her love for agility.
Moments to remember
I love the sport of dog agility! This would not have become a passion of mine had it not been for Ken Tatsch bringing the sport to the U.S. USDAA was the first dog agility organization I competed in, starting in 1990. And after 36 years, it still remains my favorite.
My first exposure to USDAA and dog agility was at the 1990 USDAA National event held in Houston. I was so excited to watch with a coworker. We were both taken with the challenge of it. My co-worker declared he would return next year to participate and win the event. I said that I would instead.
I did go on to take lessons and start competing; however, it was not until 1992 that I entered the same arena and won the Grand Prix® National Championship with my Shetland Sheepdog, Duncan. I have competed at every Cynosport® World Games held since 1991, and I am looking forward to the competition in Tucson later this year.
I have more fond memories and stories than I can possibly share at this moment!
Lifelong friendships
Dog agility has blessed me with many lifelong friends. They are people I can count on to be there for the rest of my life, with dog agility as our common thread.
When I started USDAA agility, there were not many shows. Locally (meaning Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas), we had around 10 trials a year. These trials offered the Starters and Advanced levels only because no one had achieved the Masters level yet. We had the rules in the rulebook, but that was our only knowledge of that level. So, in the early days, many people traveled extensively. It was not uncommon for a show in Texas to have folks from Colorado, Minnesota and North Carolina in addition to the Texas crowd.
I remember winning two roundtrip airline tickets anywhere in the continental U.S. in a sales competition at work and decided I would use them to attend a trial. My first thought was San Francisco, but that trial was only Starters level, and I had moved to Advanced. So, I gave one of the tickets to Laura Yarbrough, and we flew to Detroit to attend a trial in Toledo that was offering the Advanced level!
Grand Prix from a local qualifying event in the ‘90s. Front: Sherry Schoppe and Fancy; Virginia Gilmore and Sooty; Lisa Knapp and Kelly; Cherie Whittenberg and Norman; Sue Henry and Terminator; Elizabeth Blanchard with Lily and Duncan. Back: Tev Brannon and Amber; Stuart Mah (judge); Melanie Wilson and Gypsy Rose.
I also was lucky enough to represent the USDAA at large horse events where we would demonstrate dog agility for the crowds. We had the pleasure of introducing others to our sport and spending time with some of the best dog trainers I have ever met, including Susan Garrett, Linda Mecklinburg, Stuart Mah, Alaina Axford Moore, JC and Hazel Thompson, to mention a few.
For the love of dogs
The sport of dog agility creates an incredible bond with the dogs we are training and showing. I have had the honor of training and competing with seven Shetland Sheepdogs and one Boston Terrier during my agility career so far. I still love the time spent training and trialing. I catch as many USDAA trials as I can get to, and I continue to work on titles and qualifying for Cynosport.
I also love competing in the Dog Agility Masters® (DAM) team tournaments at local trials as well as at Cynosport.
With my first Sheltie, Duncan, I teamed with Laura Yarborough and her Pomeranian, Cody, and Deborah Williams and her Jack Russell Terrier, Rufus, to form “The Little Rascals.” We won the DAM team tournament National Championship in 1993, 1995 and 1996. In 1994, we finished second, the only time this team was ever beaten! We retired the team following the 1996 win. Through the years, I have loved cheering on all the small dog teams at Nationals!
"The Little Rascals": Laura Yarbrough and Cody (Pomeranian), Elizabeth Blanchard and Duncan (Sheltie) and Deborah Williams and Rufus (Jack Russell Terrier)
Looking ahead
Agility continues to advance, with handlers and dogs demonstrating increasingly refined training and skill. The sport now features a wide range of highly skilled and fast dogs in competition. In addition to purebred and mixed-breed dogs, many crossbred dogs — selected for optimal size and desirable traits from their foundation breeds — are excelling in the small and medium categories. Agility trials offer the opportunity to test our dogs’ skills and to learn from others, support friends and enjoy some camaraderie.