What a way to start the 2025 agility season! Bay, my wonderful and wild, black and white Border Collie, won her first championship ticket at the Wyre Agility Competition; meaning we’ve secured our ticket to the Crufts agility championship at Crufts in 2026!
It was a day of mixed emotions, to say the least. We started with the jumping round, and Bay, in her true, enthusiastic style, added a bit of extra “flair” to the course and forgot to pick up her feet, knocking a couple of poles – whoops! Ten faults meant we ended up in 34th place. I have to admit, my heart sank a little. Bay has always felt like an underdog; she’s arguably one of the fastest dogs in the UK (I would argue world!) and the poor girl has lived in my Cocker Spaniel Willow’s shadow.
But Bay, being the superstar she is, was blissfully unaware and excited to run her heart out again in the second qualifying round.
Then came the agility round – and that’s where Bay truly shone. She was on fire! Every weave pole, every jump, every tunnel, she navigated with incredible precision and speed. It was like she knew exactly what was at stake. Her time was phenomenal, and she put in a speedy clear round, winning the class.
Thanks to the new Kennel Club rules, Bay’s win in the agility round automatically secured her place in the final. And then, the moment we’d been working towards, in the final… Bay took the title of Large Championship winner!
Winning a championship ticket means Bay has qualified to compete in the main arena at Crufts 2026! For those who don’t know, Crufts is the biggest dog show in the world, broadcast live on television, with thousands of spectators. Although I’ve competed at Crufts for the past five years, it’s always been with Willow, and for Bay, being my wild child of a dog, I wasn’t sure if we’d ever step foot onto the green carpet together. I’ve always known she has the skill and talent to be there, she just liked to keep us on our toes, keeping those dreams just out of reach. But now, she’s cracked it and I honestly couldn’t be prouder of her. All those hours of training, fitness, and proprioception work feel like they’re finally starting to pay off.
It can take years to build that perfect partnership in agility, learning to read your dog, understand their drives, and form that close, united partnership. It’s even harder when you run multiple dogs and need to be able to swap between styles within minutes at times. But dare I say it… I believe this is the start of something really cool for Bay and me; she’s not your average Collie. The world of agility is constantly changing, and I believe she will be up there leading the way over the next few years.
But for now, our focus is on the rest of the 2025 season. Our goal is to win another two championship tickets. If Bay does that, she’ll become a Kennel Club recognized Agility Champion! Her official Kennel Club name will then have the prefix “Agility Champion” added.
We’re so excited for what the future holds, and we’re already looking forward to seeing you all at Crufts 2026!
James and Bay.
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