Ringside Chat with New WCRL Judge Laura Grahalic-See
Longtime competitor shares journey to becoming a judge.
“I absolutely love this sport. While learning the ins and outs of rally, you develop an amazing bond of teamwork with your dog that generalizes to all parts of your life. I liken it to a dance partner, and I will forever advocate for it between dogs and their owners.”
Laura Grahalic-See of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has been involved in rally since 2006. Her self-proclaimed addiction to ribbons started with her rescued yellow Lab, Bailey, competing under APDT. She continued through the sport with her second rescue, a Husky/Collie mix named Grace, as a way to help Grace recover from a bad situation and improve her confidence. Grace, now 13 years old and retired from the sport, even became the first tripod to obtain her ARCH in Calgary!
“My journey with Grace was a bit of a challenge, wondering if she was even able to do the sport, and the answer was she most definitely could!” Laura said. “The team at Sit Happens (Calgary, Alberta) was instrumental in her becoming the dog she is today. With her retiring this year, I wanted a way to stay in the game and give back to this wonderful community. What better way than to become a judge?”
A full-time administrator in police service, Laura volunteers as a rally coach at Sit Happens and loves to watch the teams grow and encourage each other. She received that same encouragement throughout her rally journey, including her judge’s training, and recently she celebrated her first trial as Sit Happens’ official judge.
“I was a tad nervous about making an error in judging,” she admitted. “And at the same time, I was very excited to see the teams competing that I played a part in coaching, including some competing for the first time! Team Sit Happens really embodies positive enforcement – all the competitors, staff, and volunteers are just amazing, with everyone supporting everyone. We had a great weekend celebrating everything dog!”
Laura is thrilled to continue her journey as a judge and most looks forward to presenting title, perfect score and qualifying ribbons and poop cakes for NQs.
For her fellow dog lovers, she also has this advice: “For those competing, don’t forget to enjoy every moment! It is an amazing journey to share with your dog and create heartwarming lifelong memories. For anyone looking to become a judge, take the same advice I did and just do it! I am very happy to be a part of this community and will commit to helping and encouraging all teams in the future, just as everyone at Sit Happens has done for me.”