Aug. 7—Grand Forks — The Grand Forks Dog Training Club is bringing the first American Kennel Club FastCAT to North Dakota, with about 400 entries scheduled for the event.
There are two events scheduled per day for August 9-11, said Jorin Becker, a club board member. Owners can enter their dogs in each.
“Some people will be signed up for just one, and other people may sign up for all six throughout the weekend,” he said.
The Grand Forks FastCAT, which means Coursing Ability Test, will take place at the Scheels Sports Complex at 4301 South 20th Street. The FastCAT is a timed 100-yard dash in which dogs run one at a time, chasing a lure. The time to complete the dash is converted into miles per hour, with a handicap system based on the dog’s height applied to determine the number of points earned. Purebred and mixed breed dogs can run the FastCAT, though must be at least 1 year old and spayed or neutered. Dogs also have to have an AKC number, earned through AKC Registration, AKC Canine Partners, Purebred Alternative Listing program or Foundation Stock Service.
Becker said the Grand Forks Dog Training Club has been doing its own FastCAT Fun Runs in the summer as another activity for people to do with their dogs, as it’s a new sport that’s quickly growing in popularity. The club put a fence outside the facility it rents and built a track for the fun runs, and there was a good amount of interest in them, he said. As more interest grew, the club decided to become approved with the AKC to run official events. The club had to find a professional lure operator, who will be a member of BarkyBoyz Racing LLC from Minneapolis. There also has to be an event secretary, Mike Teh from Xtreme K9 Dog Sports.
“We have great help from them and they were nice enough to be willing to come out to North Dakota and do this with us,” Becker said.
Becker and board member Lee Anderson both enjoy events like these and dog training in general for how it improves the bond between owner and pet. Anderson got involved with the club through enjoying doing activities with her dogs, then began training to help other people as well. Becker began by taking the club’s classes and was invited to join, and one of his dogs is a therapy dog. Anderson said people don’t have to be members to take classes or do events like fun runs, but there are about 46 members.
“I think the more that you treat your dogs and the more obedient your dog is, the more that you enjoy them and the better family members they become,” Anderson said.
Volunteers for the club will be available to answer questions at the event, and there will be vendors selling dog and pet-related items. The event is open to the public, though the club asks for people not to bring their own dogs if they’re not planning to compete, as it will be a high-stimulating environment and it will be safer if non-competing dogs aren’t present.
For people who didn’t pre-register, but are interested in competing, there is a way to enter. There are “day of show” entries available during the 1-3 p.m. time block each day, though registration for this time needs to be done by 12:30 p.m. that day. A QR code will be available to scan, Becker said, or people can use the following link:
https://zfrmz.com/Ukd18KaTsZUFMcTJBRHF.
The next AKC FastCAT is already scheduled, Becker said, for October. There will also be an AKC Agility Course Test at the end of August.
Becker also wanted to voice his appreciation for those who helped the club make the FastCAT event possible, such as Grand Forks Parks and Recreation Foundation, Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea and Edgewood. He said he would like to continue holding events like the FastCAT into the future.
“The community has really been fantastic in helping us make this happen,” he said. “It’s been a lot of work, but really fun to put together and we’re very excited to bring this to North Dakota and, hopefully, make it a regular thing for Grand Forks to have these types of events available.”
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Publish date : 2024-08-07 13:34:00
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