The Blue Ridge Agility Club of Western North Carolina will host a United States Dog Agility Association agility trial Friday, April 20, and Saturday and Sunday, April 21 and 22, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

The event will be held at Foothills Nature Equestrian Center in Tryon. Spectators are welcomed to attend, and admission is free.

Please leave your dogs comfortably at home.  

Purebred and mixed bred dogs  from throughout the Southeast  will compete at various levels of difficulty, against each other and the clock. 

USDAA trials include one “standard” run per day, plus 4 “games” – gamblers, pairs, snooker and jumpers. The dogs compete according to their experience level — starters, advanced and masters — the rules and courses become more difficult at the higher levels.

The trial includes a qualification round to enter the USDAA Grand Prix. The local qualifying events lead to regional championships, which entitled the dog to enter the USDAA World Championships.  

Another local qualifying event will be the USDAA Steeplechase, a two-round tournament with an emphasis on speed. The Dog Agility Steeplechase championships will be held later this year. 

Agility is a competitive team sport comprised of a handler and his or her dog. The object of agility is for the handler to navigate the dog through a timed obstacle course, without the dog making a mistake.

The agility course is comprised of jumps, weave poles, tunnels and climbing apparatuses. Agility rules focus on safety for the dog. The sport of agility combines control, training and drive into a challenging game for both the handler and the dog.  

The United States Dog Agility Association is the world’s largest independent authority for the sport of dog agility, with more than 25,000 registered competitors and more than 200 different breeds of dogs, including mix breeds. USDAA represents more than 100 affiliated groups throughout the continental United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and Japan.

The Blue Ridge Agility Club hosts an American Kennel Club agility trial during the Memorial Day weekend, May 25-28, at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher, North Carolina. 

For more information, visit the web at www.blueridgeagility.com.

-Submitted by Blue Dog Agility