CANINE CAMARADERIE; DOG AGILITY A FAST-GROWING SPORT.Byline: Paul O'Donoghue Staff Writer VENTURA - Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. resident Joyce Taylor admits she has an addiction. But like hundreds of other fans of the exploding sport of dog agility  It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled and . who turned up at Ventura Harbor on Sunday, Taylor doesn't want to kick the habit she shares with Cringely, her Portuguese water dog Portuguese water doga medium-sized, well-muscled dog with characteristic swimming and fishing traits. The coat is profuse and may be either long, loosely waved, or short, harsh and curled. , a black canine resembling a large poodle Noun 1. large poodle - the largest breed of poodle poodle, poodle dog - an intelligent dog with a heavy curly solid-colored coat that is usually clipped; an old breed sometimes trained as sporting dogs or as performing dogs . In chilly, overcast conditions, hundreds of spectators watched as Taylor and scores of other owners coached their dogs jumping hurdles, climbing seesaws, leaping through hoops and zigzagging through dozens of tightly-packed plastic rods and other obstacles racing against the clock. The more spectators there are the more the dogs like it, Taylor said. ``They love the attention. They get treats and touched. It's really terrific,'' said Taylor, who works in Northridge. ``It's a lot of fun, there's a lot of strategy, and it's kind of addictive,'' she said. RVs, campers and other vehicles belonging to dog agility fans from all over filled the parking lot for the two-day event that started Saturday sponsored by the Dog Agility Club of Newbury Park, one of several in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . Linda Smith Linda Smith is the name of:
n. pl. fes·tiv·i·ties 1. A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival. 2. The pleasure, joy, and gaiety of a festival or celebration. 3. . ``This has been great, really nice,'' Smith said of the event that was founded a couple years ago. ``A lot of competitors (come) from all over the place. They come from the Bay Area and San Diego; a lot of people (come) all the way from Arizona. (And) the judges are from Seattle and Chicago,'' she said. The sport, which originated in Europe, is open to dogs of all sizes and levels of training ranging from beginners to ``masters'' and is akin to equestrian show jumping. Having accumulated sufficient points at one level, dogs then move on up to higher levels as their ability grows. There are different types of competitions with varying degrees of master-dog teamwork as well. In some competitions, the masters run through the courses with their dogs, gesturing and telling them the order and direction in which to tackle obstacles ranging from tunnels made of fabric to long planks suspended off the ground. In other competitions, masters have to maintain a certain distance from the dogs. Mistakes cost points and time. As the sound of barking mingled with cheers and applause, the 200 dogs and their masters mingled or sat with friends under awnings on the village lawn in between competitions and sipped coffee or compared notes. Spectators Larry Salcido, his wife, Teresa and their two children, Jillian, 7, and Sean, 5, stood engrossed en·gross tr.v. en·grossed, en·gross·ing, en·gross·es 1. To occupy exclusively; absorb: A great novel engrosses the reader. See Synonyms at monopolize. 2. with their backs to the harbor filled with bobbing boats as they watched the agility tests. ``This is just unbelievable,'' said Salcido, a dog owner who lives in Newbury Park. ``They must spend hours every day working with these dogs,'' he said. The sport now even has its own magazine, ``Clean Run,'' and is regularly featured on animal TV programs and is open to people of all ages, said Carla Kramer, one of the 50 members of the Newbury Park club. ``You see all ages, from 13 to early 70s,'' said Kramer, who owns Gabe, a 2-year-old black Labrador. ``I've seen people out there in wheelchairs. Anybody can do this,'' she said. Dogs came in all breeds, shapes and sizes, from 8-inch-tall Pomeranians, to Australian cattle dogs, border collies, poodles, bulldogs, various types of terriers and Dalmatians. Herding dogs such as sheepdogs were highly represented. Unlike other competitions involving animals and humans, Taylor said dog agility has a lot of camaraderie and participants are united by their love for the animals and help each other out. ``These are my friends. . . . You want everyone to do well,'' Taylor said. ``It's a dog thing, you know. It's a team sport.'' CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Susan Benevy and her Labrador retriever Labrador retriever, breed of large sporting dog whose origins are obscure but whose immediate ancestors were developed in Newfoundland and brought to England in the early 1800s. It stands about 23 in. (58.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs between 60 and 75 lb (27. Thunder run through the Masters Jumping Agility Test on Sunday in Ventura. Lilly Barrett/Special to the Daily News (2 -- color) Sam, a cocker spaniel cocker spaniel, breed of small sporting dog developed from English cocker spaniels brought to the United States in the 1880s. It stands from 14 to 15 in. (35.6–38.1 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs about 25 lb (11.3 kg). , jumps through a hoop during the weekend event, sponsored by the Dog Agility Club of Newbury Park. (3 -- color) Roxanne, a Nova Scotia duck trolling (1) Surfing, or browsing, the Web. (2) Posting derogatory messages about sensitive subjects on newsgroups and chat rooms to bait users into responding. (3) Hanging around in a chat room without saying anything, like a "peeping tom." retriever retriever: see sporting dog. retriever Any of several dog breeds, bred to retrieve game, that have a thick, water-resistant coat, keen sense of smell, and “soft” mouth that does not damage game. Retrievers are 22–24 in. , is encouraged as she runs between poles as part of Sunday's agility test. (4 -- color) Lynda Tjarks and her Belgian tervuren, Zuni, take a break before competing Sunday at the Ventura Harbor Village. Lilly Barrett/Special to the Daily News |
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