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Tad is faster than a speeding greyhound ... and he recently took part in the three-day Canine Performance Events (CPE) nationals in Springfield, Illinois with his owner/handler, Anna Caylor.
CELINA - Tad may not be in his prime anymore, but the adorable, impeccably trained 9-year-old corgi still possesses enough zip, agility, speed and eagerness to compete with the best of pooches.
Tad and his owner/handler, Anna Caylor, an incoming sophomore at Celina High School, recently took part in the three-day Canine Performance Events (CPE) nationals in Springfield, Illinois, a competition featuring 505 handlers and 659 dogs from all over the United States and Canada.
CPE is a national dog agility association that highlights fun while offering agility trials and various game classes. Dog agility is a sport where handlers direct their dog through a pre-set obstacle course within a certain time limit. Courses usually include obstacles such as tunnels, weave poles, tire jumps, seesaws and pause tables where dogs must stop for a set amount of time.
Caylor and Tad walked away with numerous awards, including first place in Jr. Snooker (a two-part point game), third place overall in game courses, high point low rider and the prestigious CPE National High Point Jr. Handler award.
"There's different things," Caylor said about the events at nationals. "There's standard and there's different games like jumpers, and it's always still usually a different course that you go through."
Tad is more agile than a beagle at lunchtime. And he recently took part in the three-day Canine Performance Events (CPE) nationals in Springfield, Illinois with his owner/handler, Anna Caylor.
Throughout the year, handlers and their dogs must compete in a certain amount of trials to accumulate enough points to qualify for nationals.
Caylor, 15, and Tad are now veterans of the trial circuit.
Under the guidance of her grandmother Terry McGlaughlin, Caylor began showing Tad when she was 8 and has since garnered numerous national CPE awards in dog agility.
Caylor began attending competitions with McGlaughlin, who long trained her dogs for obedience.
"I always take all my dogs to obedience class," McGlaughlin said. "I started, and she probably went with me a couple years before she even showed her dog."
Caylor said showing Tad brought her out of dark times as a kid.
"At one point I was like really low in my life and that was pretty much the only thing that I actually loved doing," she said. "I always kept on doing it."
Showing dogs requires having a good relationship with the animal and being able to communicate not just with words, but body language as well, Caylor said.
"Because if your hands are doing one thing and your feet are doing another, they'll get confused," she said. "My dog would, he would just shut down."
Caylor trains Tad nearly year-round and said it's been great seeing his growth.
"It's pretty awesome," she said. "I've trained him by myself. We've both learned throughout the years what to do, and it's us. It's really nice to see that with experience with him."
Anna Caylor and Tad pose on a rock beside Grand Lake. Caylor will be a sophomore at Celina High School.
Caylor added that her favorite memory of working with Tad was when she got her first C-ATCH award through CPE.
A C-ATCH award is earned when a handler achieves 10 qualifying runs in a standard course and five qualifying runs in all the other courses, McGlaughlin explained.
Caylor didn't even know she was in the running for an award when she snagged her first C-ATCH.
McGlaughlin had noticed her granddaughter was on the brink of achieving a C-ATCH but kept it a secret so Caylor wouldn't be nervous.
"I just never even tell her because I keep track of all the records," McGlaughlin said. "And so the first time she had no clue she was (close to earning it)."
Caylor's parents and little sisters were in attendance when she was presented with the C-ATCH, Caylor said.
"They brought the little sisters and I just thought, 'Cool, they're here,'" Caylor said. "Then, I get finished with the course and then all of a sudden there's so many cheers. Like, what the heck? I was so confused. All of a sudden a lady comes out with this big ribbon and I grab it and then I have to do a victory lap because that's what they do with your dog. I was so happy."
Caylor has now earned a total of three C-ATCH awards and is closing in on her fourth, she said.
Her grandma added that the duo will most likely take much of July off from showing due to other obligations. However, it's back to the grind come August.
"We'll probably go someplace next month," McGlaughlin said. "I really haven't looked at the schedule yet. She's got band all this month and we're going on vacation. So we'll kind of let this month slide by, but we'll pick back up in the fall."
Tad is able to leap obstacles in a single bound ... and he recently took part in the three-day Canine Performance Events (CPE) nationals in Springfield, Illinois with his owner/handler, Anna Caylor.
