Paws 'N Effect Rally Invitational Was a Success

Over 25 teams participated in the Northeastern trial.

Judge and trainer Leigh Sylvester trials with her Shiloh Shepherd, Kingston, in rally throughout the Northeast. “I’ve been involved in rally since Paws ‘N Effect opened,” said Leigh.  In 2018, Leigh started working with WCRL to bring something different to competitors. “I love rally because it’s just about the teamwork between you and your dog,” she said. 

For June’s invitational, 25 to 30 teams participated with over 300 runs over the weekend. “The invitational gave a lot of participants a sense of pride in what they accomplished with their dog in order to qualify for the invitational,” said Leigh. “People liked that the courses for qualifying were just challenging enough so they felt like they earned their spots.”  

The trial ran over three days, which gave teams the opportunity to split if they had multiple dogs. “We had a live stream for people to watch the trial, as well as two buildings to accommodate the COVID-19 safety precautions,” Leigh said. Judging the trial alongside Leigh was Charlene Swainamer. “Charlene has been such a core part of WCRL and is one of the most supportive, helpful and friendly judges. We are also so grateful for Kathy Shea, owner of Paws ‘N Effect, for developing the WCRL invitational and her overall support of the program.” 

“We wanted to make sure everyone felt a part of the trial, so we handed out special awards for the runs that didn’t place, such as the Heart and Soul award given to the pair who really gave it their all,” said Leigh. “We also gave out a Triple Me Perfect, Perfect Weekend, Endurance, The Perfect Pair and more awards to teams we felt deserved them. As judges, we see so many great teams and so many great runs that sometimes don’t get acknowledged, so that’s why we did a lot.” In addition to efforts to make people feel included, a commemorative gift and goodie bags were handed out to each participant. 

Photo credit: Brian Tippy Photo www.tippykayak.com