Arapahoe County – Greg Louganis won four Olympic gold medals in diving and is arguably the most famous athlete in that sport, but he’s not the best in his new sport.
That honor goes to the dogs – literally.
Louganis came from California is among 186 people from around the country competing in a dog agility regional championship at Arapahoe County Community Park. The high-energy sport features hounds racing through hurdles, hoops and ramps with their handlers by their side.
“It’s obedience in the fast lane,” said Sandy Mullis, president of the Front Range Agility Club.
The competition continues today, with top finishers heading to November’s national finals in Scottsdale, Ariz.
While Louganis may be famous, the true celebrity in this crowd is a tan-and-white border collie named Secret.
The 10-year-old dog, owned by Stacy Peardot-Goudy of Fort Collins, has won a world title and three national championships.
“She’s a very good athlete. This is what she lives for,” said Peardot-Goudy, who had Secret’s paw print tattooed on her calf.
Peardot-Goudy began training Secret when the dog was 7 weeks old. The two formed an instant bond.
“We just clicked from Day One,” Peardot-Goudy said. But Secret is now in her waning days of competition, with a surgically repaired knee and back. Oh, but in her day …
“Just so good, just perfection,” said Bill Reuck of Colorado Springs, who said he hoped one day to train a dog to be as good as Secret in her prime.
“When you get a dog like that, with a handler like that, it’s just a beautiful thing to watch,” he said.
On Sunday, Peardot-Goudy and Secret ran through a preliminary heat, with the dog effortlessly bounding over the hurdles and scampering up the ramps. But it wasn’t perfect. Secret had five faults, finishing in 36.78 seconds. The ideal finish is with no faults and in 29 seconds or less, Peardot-Goudy said.
“No matter,” she said. “She gets to run tomorrow.”
The U.S. Dog Agility Association has 22,000 registered competitors handling more than 30,000 dogs. In the circuit, everyone seems to know one another. Many handlers do agility training and competitions for a living. Most handlers are women, and many have knee injuries.
“It’s from all the stopping and turning,” said Reuck, who had a heart attack during one competition in Pueblo three years ago.
“I didn’t know it,” he said. “My first concern was did we finish in the top five.” He did, but he left in an ambulance.
On Sunday, the competition’s 247 dogs were mostly border collies and Australian shepherds – dogs addicted to this type of activity. But others included a Great Dane, a Chihuahua, a Chinese crested, a Welsh corgi, a poodle and a pair of Staffordshire bull terriers.
Louganis said he got into the sport eight years ago, about a decade after he won gold medals at the Seoul Olympics.
“It looked like so much fun,” he said, minutes after running his border collie Gryff.
“Diving was all on me,” he said. “My success and failure was dependent on me. This is different because you have a four-legged partner. You just have to work that relationship. It’s also not that important to me to win – I just want them to perform well.”
Staff writer Jeremy P. Meyer can be reached at 303-820-1175 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com.
CANINES’ COURSE WORK CONTINUES
The South Central Regional Championships continue from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at Arapahoe County Community Park, 7900 S. Potomac St. For more information on agility competition, check out www.usdaa.com.
