Joy in the Journey: Anna Eifert and Nebraska
From Hungary to the Cynosport Podium
We are pleased to introduce our new “Joy in the Journey” series! We look forward to sharing USDAA competitors’ stories from their travels on the road to local and regional events as well as Cynosport®. If you have a story you’d like to share, please email news@usdaa.com.
Anna Eifert is one of several handlers who came from across the world to compete at this year’s Cynosport® Dog Agility World Games Presented by Purina® Pro Plan®. She and her 6-year-old Border Collie, Holman’s Nebraska (“Neb”), traveled from Hungary to compete in Anna’s 10th and Neb’s third Cynosport.
“My first visit to the U.S. was in 2010 with my first Border Collie, Nevian,” Anna said. “I like to be here, and I love to compete with my dogs! Nevian and I won Masters Snooker at the 2010 USDAA Mid-Atlantic Showcase. We entered Cynosport in 2011, and then we just kept going.”
Anna Eifert and Nebraska (GreatDanePhotos)
Anna has successfully competed with Nevian; her now-12-year-old Bull Terrier, Dú; and Neb, who won the 22” Masters Challenge BiathlonSM Championship in 2019. After competing in Arizona in 2022, she and Neb returned to Tennessee this year with their sights on another podium finish.
The journey is a long one, but well worth it. “We always fly from Budapest to Paris because you have to take the dog out and check her in again,” Anna said. “That flight is a bit longer than two hours, then flying to Atlanta is about nine hours. Neb doesn’t like to be at the airport, so this way she gets to come out one more time. Thankfully, when I get her at arrival, she always behaves normally again and isn’t too stressed.”
Anna and Neb ultimately brought home the Dog Agility Masters® Three-Dog Team Championship as members of “Go Fast, Don’t Die,” alongside Steve Schwarz’s Snap! and Alice Cinotto’s Mystery. “It feels like a bigger win than Biathlon,” Anna laughed. “For each tournament, you have to have great agility skills and know your dog very well to be able to create the best handling plan. Then with Team, you also need two more people who know how to get things done! I’m a perfectionist, and I just love the strategy that goes into these games.”