Talented Rescue Dogs and Their Handlers
Rescue Dog Wines celebrates Cynosport teams.
This article was originally published in the December 2025 OVERview digital magazine.
USDAA was thrilled to partner with Rescue Dog Wines at the 2025 Cynosport® Dog Agility World Games Presented by Purina® Pro Plan®, especially with so many talented rescue dogs and their handlers competing at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum. After sharing their mission to support rescue organizations through a wine sampling and raffle at the event, Rescue Dog Wines would also like to congratulate these outstanding teams.
Kim Galusha and Stormy
When Stormy was 7 weeks old, a friend of Kim Galusha’s rescued her from a small town in Texas and brought her to Kim for fostering. “She won my heart and never left,” said the resident of Austin, Texas. “She started competing in agility when she was 18 months old, and she is turning 8 years old in December.”
The duo had a highly successful Cynosport this year, earning second place in the 4” BiathlonSM Standard, third in the 4” Grand Prix® Semifinals, and fifth in the 4” Steeplechase® Finals and Performance Masters Challenge Biathlon℠ Overall.
Betsie Bolger and Coco
After Betsie Bolger of Dallas, Texas, lost her previous rescue dog, Rosie, she and her husband decided to adopt a senior or hard-to-adopt dog. They didn’t find one during their visit to the SPCA of Texas in 2015, but they did meet the little mixed-breed Coco andbrought her home.
“I actually didn’t plan to ever compete in agility,” Betsie said. “Coco liked to run fast and jump over things, so I decided to take a few lessons just for fun and to boost her confidence. Over the years, my main goal with her has always been to keep her sound and happy, running for as long as the universe and good maintenance will allow.”
After Coco qualified for Cynosport with a third-place finish in the 2-Dog Team tournament at the 2025 South Central Regional, Betsie moved her to the veterans classes with that goal in mind. Like so many of their fellow competitors, the duo truly demonstrated their bond in Tennessee. They earned podium finishes across the board and ultimately secured the reserve championship in the 4” Veterans All Around Showcase Presented by Purina Pro Plan.
Click here to watch Coco’s Veterans Gamblers run at Cynosport 2025.
Joy Moll and Hooch
A software quality assurance engineer and the owner of Full of Joy Dog Training, Joy Moll of Marion, New York, specializes in helping people connect through agility with their behaviorally challenged dogs to improve their overall lives. When she was first contacted to evaluate Hooch for rehoming, she could not even touch him. Instead of finding a rescue organization that would take him, though, she decided to keep and rehabilitate him herself. Just six months later, the pair earned their first ribbon together.
“Doing agility is what allowed Hooch to learn to trust me and to have fun through the physical and mental challenges,” Joy said. “He had guarding and fear-aggression issues with his previous owner and would growl and snap at the children. He had never been outdoors, never met other Hooch’s first ribbon dogs and never been trained to do anything. In my 30 years of experience as a foster and rehabilitator, Hooch is my greatest rehabilitation achievement.”
In September 2024, Hooch developed Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA), an autoimmune disease with a 50% survival rate in which the body destroys its red blood cells. Joy had previously lost another dog to this disease, so Hooch was admitted to a critical care hospital and given steroids and two blood transfusions to save his life. His recovery continued until August 2025, when he was fully weaned off medication and went into full remission.
“The fact that he survived and was able to get back to competing made this year’s Cynosport that much more special,” Joy said. “I am so proud of my little survivor; he has been through a lot in his life!”
Joy and Hooch, now 10, placed third in the Performance 4” Masters Challenge BiathlonSM.
More information about Rescue Dog Wines can be found at rescuedogwines.com. When visiting their online store, remember that 50% of all proceeds go to rescue organizations!