Agility dog club looking for members

The founders of a new Rainy River Agility Dog Club are looking for members.
Kirsty Sinclair and Kim Jo Bliss, along with their dogs, Mak and Karma, are hoping to get the club off the ground. And they’re extending an invitation to anyone interested in learning how to teach their dog to run an agility course.
“We would really like to have a good-size group for this to have more fun and to get this off the ground,” said Bliss.
Bliss and Sinclair are just beginners when it comes to the agility courses but will bring their dogs to a workshop with an experienced teacher in Dryden. In turn, they will teach what they’ve learned to anyone in the area who is interested.
The agility course consists of teeter-totters, tubes, stairs, A-frames, and ladders, which the owner guides the dog through. The courses are often run competitively, with the best time winning and seconds subtracted whenever a dog makes an error.
The club will be an opportunity to not only teach the dogs how to run a course but for owners to learn the necessary commands and skills.
And it will be a chance for the dogs to socialize, too.
“We have some of the jumps and some of the obstacles already but we would like to have some help to build some more,” said Sinclair.
For starters, the pair just would like to get together and have fun with other dog owners and maybe consider competition sometime down the road.
Sinclair said she isn’t sure whether her dog would adapt to the obstacles but she’s willing to try it. “I don’t know if he would do it but I just want to have fun,” she remarked.
“I’m excited about it,” echoed Bliss. “I like to do stuff with my dog–she’s my kid.”
It’s also a good workout for dogs that are stuck at home most of the day. “My dog is fat and needs this,” reasoned Bliss.
The dogs can be of any breed, with the only requirement being they have basic obedience.
The club will meet and run the course at Sinclair’s place on River Road. Anyone interested in joining can contact Sinclair (486-3505) or Bliss (482-2863).