Atlanta-area teen addicted to dog sports

January 29, 6:07 AMAtlanta Dogs ExaminerSandy Weaver Carman

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Trick, Raven, Ekko, Smudge and Kate - R. Carignan

Since she was 10, Kate Carignan has been an addict.

But it's a good addiction...Kate's addicted to training and competing in dog sports. She's training 4 dogs in agility, and one is learning to fly in Frisbee competition. She trains her dogs daily, and attends around 30 trials a year, all while keeping her grades high, her church obligations met, and her friends and family astonished...and a little tired!

How did this addiction start? Kate and her Dad were watching the AKC National Agility Championships on tv, and Kate said, "I want to do that." They had just rescued Raven, and knew it would be good training for her, so they signed up for classes. Kate's Dad thought it would be a six-week thing, and then it would be tossed aside when something more fun came along.

That was six years ago. Something more fun has yet to come along, and the family dogs now include Ekko, Trick and Smudge, all training in agility and Frisbee. Only Raven and Smudge are in agility competition at this point...Trick and Ekko are still in training.

Kate spends about an hour a day, every day, training the dogs. Sometimes they just play a hard game of "get the tennis ball" and sometimes they work on skills needed to excel in the agility ring, like jump combinations and obstacle steadiness. Trick loves Frisbee, and Ekko loves her morning walk with Kate, in addition to the day's training. Kate also is responsible for feeding and caring for the dogs each day, making sure they're all healthy and happy and clean.

Kate is still a teenager, though...her favorite class is biology, she likes all kinds of music, and she loves to read and play guitar. Her goal in life is to be a veterinarian, and watching how she's achieved so much in such a short time in the agility ring, no one who knows Kate is doubting she'll do it.

See Kate's profile, as part of a program about dog training, on PBA here.  The show will air on PBA on 2/7 at 9pm, 2/10 at 10pm and 2/24 at 11pm.

Dog Examiner Sandy says: If you'd like to explore agility as an addiction for you and your dog, look to the right for the links to local training clubs. Have fun...it IS addictive!

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