Benefits of Training and Sport for Rescue Dogs

Meet Lucas, Roscoe, Kailani, Rious and Jeffrey

"My rescue German Shepherd, Lucas, was very anxious and dog-reactive when I adopted him. We started taking group agility classes and it was tough at first; he sometimes had to be crated during class if he was too reactive. Fast forward a few years and his reactivity is gone. He loves agility and has novice regular and jumpers titles. I’m planning to go through the same process with my new rescue who is a young Shepherd Rottweiler mix."
— Lisa Foster

Lucas

"We’re fairly new to USDAA and plan on enjoying it more going forward. My sweet rescue (Roscoe) has a long story, but basically, I fostered him to save his life in 2017; he was hit by a car when he was one and had a difficult FHO surgery with several months of recovery and rehab. We stumbled upon agility and haven’t looked back; I know agility has strengthened his hip and the training has made us a great team more than I ever could have imagined. We’re having so much fun, we couldn’t imagine life without it.” — Amy Acosta

Roscoe

"My rescue dog, Kailani, came to me super nervous with no confidence. Agility has helped her become a more confident, honest teammate that is such a joy to run with!" The pair will be competing at 2022 Cynosport® Dog Agility World Games. — Melanie Meador Harris

Kailani

"This was my heart dog, Rious. I got him as a tiny puppy from a local rescue. He and his littermates were found in a burned-outbuilding in Mississippi when they were 5 weeks old. He was a Border Collie/Akita mix. I had always wanted to try dog sports but hadn’t yet had a dog who would handle the environment. This guy was game for anything, so we stumbled into the puppy division at what was at the time (and possibly to date) the largest rally trial in the country, NEROE. It had two rings going, dogs and people everywhere, and such polished teams. I felt like a fish out of water. Rious stepped into that ring at 7 months old and was a total pro! Everyone was coming up and asking where I got him. I was so proud of him! I still doubted we would ever do what these top teams were doing, but we’d have fun.

He went on to achieve his ARCHMX eight times and to win that NEROE tournament! He was my gateway dog to dog sports, and I’m forever thankful for that. He also taught me how to bring out the spark in a sensitive dog and how to fix things I broke from rushing. Being a highly sensitive dog, rally was predictable for him. While he could worry in some settings, the rally ring was his happy place. It was where he oozed confidence and joy. Sadly, last August at only 8 years old I lost him quite suddenly to an aggressive cancer. The sport of rally gifted us so many treasured memories and friends who are now family. I would never have met any of them had it not been for my Rious." — Jessica Janowski

Rious

Michele Houston’s pit bull and rally champ, Jeffrey, has made the finals for the American Humane Hero Dog Awards® nationwide competition that recognizes ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things, whether it’s saving lives on the battlefield, lending sight or hearing to a human companion, or helping people achieve their goals. Jeffrey qualified in the Shelter Dog category as he was rescued from the Manhattan Animal Care & Control euthanasia list in 2010. Check it out here and feel free to cast your vote before July 22.