Australian shepherd wins agility at Westminster

NEW YORK -- A high-leaping Australian shepherd named Holster scrambled and sprang to take the Westminster Kennel Club agility title Saturday night, seeming undaunted by anything the obstacle course could throw at him.

Then he jumped up and pawed his owner and handler, Wendy Cerilli of Greenwich, New York.

"He's a very loyal and hard-working dog," she said.

Meanwhile, a 10-year-old Boston terrier-beagle mix named Hailey won a separate title for the No. 1 mixed-breed agility dog, a win that left owner and handler Karen Profenna drying her eyes.

With Holster's win, Aussies barked their arrival at an event border collies had won since it started in 2014.

Not that participants are necessarily keeping score. Many say they're just out to have fun and showcase their pets' abilities at the nation's most illustrious dog show.

Spanning 76 breeds, the 330 competitors ranged from Chihuahuas to giant schnauzers and included 26 mixed-breed dogs, nearly twice as many as last year. The event has given them a place at a show that was purebreds-only for over a century, and some contestants are even combos designed to be agility super dogs.

Hailey, on the other hand, is a dog Profenna got as a pet, then started training in agility as an outlet for her boundless energy. During breaks from competing Saturday, Hailey demonstrated some of the 175 tricks she knows. She also makes 200 therapy-dog visits a year, said Profenna, of New City, New York.

Border collies were the most prevalent breed competing, and the driven, fast, flexible herders are seen as tough to beat. The animals compete in height classes, but unlike many other agility trials, Westminster has 10 winners from each class run off to crown one top dog. The lowest time wins, with time added for errors.

Winning the other classes were a Belgian Tervuren named Smartie, handled by Julie Hill of Mandeville, Louisiana; Cruzer, a Shetland sheepdog handled by Diane Patterson of Middletown, Connecticut; Keebler, a Pembroke Welsh corgi handled by Roger O'Sullivan of Giahanna, Ohio; and Wren, a Papillion handled by Betsey Lynch of Delaware, Ohio.

Organizers say it can be any dog's game, and participants note any animal -- or handler -- can have a great day or make a false move.