Volt secures a place in agility championships
"While it will always be a challenge to work with an animal that cannot voice its feelings, this also makes each dog and teaching each behaviour a unique experience."
The grandmother of an eight-year-old girl from Krugersdorp once took her granddaughter to a dog show.
Little did she know the trip would become the girl’s absolute passion. Since the first day Alett Reed started training dogs, she knew the relationship she built with the dogs would surpass her love for everything else.
Years later Alett still loves her furry friends, almost as much as she loves being a Basic Life Support paramedic.
“I started in Emergency Management Services (EMS) quite late in my life after having worked in other industries. I can finally say that I am one of the lucky few who truly love my job and could not imagine doing anything else. Since I work long hours and have several other hobbies as well, all my leave generally revolves around dog-related activities.”
During the tryouts held in conjunction with the South Africa Agility Championships in Cape Town in May this year, Alett and her fluffy companion Volt qualified for the South African Agility team. Volt is her third dog to make the South African Agility Team.
Photo: Supplied
Eleven other handlers and their dogs qualified for the FCI Dog Agility World Championships during the tryouts and along with their team leader the group set off to Spain to compete.
They landed in Frankfurt on 18 September and the team enjoyed a short rest before boarding another plane to Madrid the next day.
“I’m glad the European Union doesn’t require South African dogs to be quarantined,” Alett said.
“Unfortunately travelling from South Africa is a challenge. All the other participating countries may fly their dogs as excess baggage, while our dogs have to travel as manifested cargo. The paperwork can be quite daunting and complicated for newer team members.”
They reached Zaragoza, Spain by bus the next day to rest before the world championships. The competition started on 22 September with Volt entered into the small individuals and teams categories.
Nine months of intense training prepared Volt and the other team members for the five days of competitive races.
Photo: Supplied
“During the training months, I prepared my dog by running, hiking, swimming and core building exercises to ensure he is fit,” Alett said. “It is a very demanding sport for their bodies to handle and conditioning is necessary.”
She said although it is important to train your dog for the championships it is as important to ensure the dog had short breaks between the training to ensure it is healthy and happy.
“While it will always be a challenge to work with an animal that cannot voice its feelings or understand instructions on our terms, this also makes each dog and teaching each behaviour a unique experience,” Alett said.
Alett and Volt finished in 30th place.
Photo: Supplied
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