Giving dogs a second chance

Supadog Agility Rescue League Finals Report

This year the Supadog Agility Rescue League (SARL) final was held on the Friday of the RVA KC Open Agility show at Peterborough. The Final is open to all heights/categories of dogs. The top dogs from each category are invited to attend.

The judge this year was Paul Moore who set some fantastic courses which were flowing but also challenging for the different levels competing. The competition format was a warm up jumping round in the morning followed by the Agility Final in the afternoon.

The weather, as the forecast, had been mixed, but luckily it stayed dry, and the sun even made a few appearances! There was a lot of support and motivation from friends and family as well as from people at the agility show and the general public. This was very encouraging to all competitors and it made the atmosphere around the ring excellent.

Renee Patience provided some top and entertaining commentary although Paul Moore might not agree with that, 'something about Papillons! It was hard not to be moved by some of the stories of the stars of the day, and it is a credit to the handlers that many of these dogs have managed to put behind them their bad start to life and are now happy and confident. These  dogs were definitely enjoying life/agility and competing at all levels.

Judges report
Having a rescue dog myself, Tyke (Valgrays Iri-ish Boy), who is now the grand old age of 12 years old, I was over the moon when I was asked to judge this event as this is a subject close to my heart. I have to say, some of the stories definitely brought a tear to the eyes and I was glad to be able to hide behind my sunglasses at some of the horrific tales!

There were some fantastic runs on the day. I truly believe that everyone single one was a winner. What does stand out in my mind, however, is how ecstatic some of the handlers were to gain their clear rounds. It was lovely to see such enthusiasm. Well done to those who won the coveted titles of SARL winner of 2008 in their Grade. There are too many of you to mention. I think you gave the members of the public watching an excellent demonstration of dog agility and how it can be enjoyed by everyone.

I was very honoured to be asked to judge the 2008 SARL Finals by the organiser, Karen Fuller. This event is extremely well planned and executed by Karen who had a superb crew helping her on the day, and a big big thank you goes out to you all.  There were some fantastic trophies, too! A special thank you goes to the several scribes I had throughout the day and to Renee Patience who did a sterling job commentating all day!

Thank you
Karen said, 'We were delighted to introduce and welcome the Managing Director from Burgess Petcare, Paul Miley. Burgess Petcare (formally Burgess Supadog) enabled us to provide generous food prizes and superb trophies, with every finalist taking home a rosette and toy for their canine partner.'

'A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the finals a success including our hosts RVA, our sponsors Burgess Pet Care, Lynn Kelly who disappeared into the score tent about 9am and re-appeared early evening after spending the day sorting out the scoring and paperwork. Renee’s little helpers Tor and Stefan were absolute stars and worked all day, helping with the commentary cards, leads, as well as the rosettes/toys for the prizegivings.'

Thanks also go to Paula Kingwood and Becky Layphries who took turns to book in the competitors and lots of other people - Leah, Jay, Nick and Kate to name a few - who stepped in at the last moment to help with the scriming, course building and any other tasks/jobs that needed doing throughout the day. Many people rose to the challenge to help run this event and I am very grateful!'

Thanks also needs to be extended to all the SARL members who attended, many of whom travelled quite a few miles to be at the finals, and I cannot forget the stars of the day, the dogs!!

More photo’s and full results can be found on the website. This event really captures the spirit of the league and if you are interested in joining, then please visit our website - www.supadarl.co.uk

Winners

Nicola Hadaway & Trio Lad (Small G1-4)	Helen Anderson & Dinky Demon of Down Under (Medium G1-4)	Nicky Holden & Kenwood Casca (Large G2)	Judith Doble & Tumble Black Magic (Large G1)
Gary Cummings & Monkey Madness No Worries  (Medium G5-7)	Soraya Porter & Hartsfern in Ernest (Small G5-7)	Ian Dobison Little Miss Meena (Large G3-5)	Leah Gardner & Chaffords Herbal Illusion (Large G6-7)

Finals News

For all the SARL finalists, just to let you know that the website has now been updated with further information for The Finals including the running orders. Car passes were posted on 26 May 2008 to everyone who sent a SAE.

The Finals will be held at the RVA show at the East of England Showground, Peterborough, on Friday, 13 June. The judge will be Paul Moore. Competitors should book in at Ring 6 from 8.30 - 9.00am. If you are in the first two classes, please be at the ringside from 9.20am. If you are entered in the show, please make sure that if you have a run that clashes with the final ring you inform both callers.

If you are competing in agility with a Rescue Dog and want to find out  how easy it is to join the Supadog Agility Rescue League, please visit the website to register http://www.supadarl.co.uk.

There are over 35 end of year awards and Finals to qualify for. It is easy to enter your points online which are updated in realtime and if you have not registered yet don't worry. There is no time limit to enter  points so you can claim all your points for this year.

RSVP

G3-5 Survey

Dates of 2008 Finals Announced

The Superdog Agility Rescue League Finals, sponsored by Burgess, will be hosted by RVA at the three day open agility show at The East of England Agricultural Show on Friday, 13 June 2008. There is no time limit to claim points and they can be backdated to 21 December 2006

The qualifiers will be based on the 2007 league results as follows:-

Further information regarding invitations to the event including the RVA schedule will be found on the web site in due course

Supadog Agrees to Sponsor Agility League for Rescue Dogs

The Dog Agility Rescue League (DARL), formed to recognise the achievements of rescue dogs, is celebrating after agreeing a three-year sponsorship deal with Supadog, the popular dog food range from pet care specialists Burgess.

The Dog Agility Rescue League (DARL) – soon to become the Supadog Agility Rescue League – was launched last year to allow rescue dogs and their owners to show they can compete with the best of them in the agility ring. It already has close on 800 members.

Christine Neasham, head of marketing at Burgess, said  'At Burgess we believe that pets contribute hugely to the wellbeing of their owners and we should repay them by looking after them the best we can.  It's great to know that members of the Dog Agility Rescue League and other people like them have been able to give a loving home to some very lucky rescue dogs and help them reach their full potential – their success shows that with the right care and attention rescue dogs can be just as successfully trained as non-rescues.'

'We admire their dedication and are looking forward to working with everyone associated with the league to ensure rescue dogs - who are the true supadogs - get the recognition they deserve.'

The Supadog sponsorship, which begins in January 2008, will help fund the league's one-day national final. All competitors will receive a bag of Supadog Active, a protein-rich food for active and sporting dogs, with natural bio-flavonoids which have anti-viral properties to guard against infection from sources such as stagnant water and carrion.

Karen Fuller, the league administrator, said  'We're very excited about our partnership with Supadog.  Interest in the league is already growing in leaps and bounds and this new support should help the league gain a much higher profile in the agility world.'

Burgess will continue to support the Kent-based Supadog Agility Show, the largest event of its kind in the world, which it has sponsored for 11 years.

For more information about Dog Agility Rescue League visit their web site

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