Gitchi
On Friday, the day before Westminster, one of the great agility dogs of her era quietly left this world. Gitchi, my golden retriever, passed away, leaving behind a legacy that extends far beyond the ribbons and titles. The last time the Westminster Masters Agility Championship Finals was broadcast live on FOX, she was there—running, competing, giving her all like she always did.
She was an incredible competitor, a dog whose instincts, anticipation, and sheer heart allowed her to beat faster dogs throughout her career. She was also a bar knocker at the worst possible times (like when she was the top seed in the Finals at Westminster), which made for heartbreak in some moments, but looking back now, it’s just another part of her story, another piece of what made her who she was. She was always near me, always in whatever room I was in. That presence is something I feel acutely now that she’s gone.
Gitchi came from greatness. Her mother, Gris, was the first golden retriever I had ever seen move like my rottweiler Sammie—fast, driven, powerful. I heard her before I saw her. When I finally did, I walked up to Susan Fraser, who owned Gris along with her husband, Steve Matthews, and said, this is the fastest golden retriever I’ve ever seen. Susan asked, do you want to run her? And I said yes.
Gris did not like to let go of her damn bumper, tugged like a champ, but gosh was she hard-headed. She was loud, barky, relentless, a bar-knocking machine—but she was special. And because of Gris, I built my relationship with Susan and Steve. Steve is blind. He’s never seen me run Gris or Gitchi, but he has shared in the experience countless times.
There’s something different about a dog you go to war with in competition. You spend hours, weeks, years, pushing limits, solving problems, building an understanding that doesn’t require words. Gitchi and I had that. The highs of the wins, the lows of the bars, the rhythm of running a course together—it’s a connection that simply can’t be replicated. I think you know what I mean.
I call Gitchi mine, but in truth, she belonged to Susan. Susan wanted me to run Gitchi like I’d been running Gris, but I wasn’t interested. Gitchi didn’t look particularly fast or driven—not like her mother. Gris had incredible heart, and I didn’t see it in Gitchi. But Susan insisted. When Susan approached me, I think Gitchi had barely placed in the ribbons at the biggest four-day dog show in Houston, held in Reliant Arena, finishing behind the other top goldens (themselves legends in the golden community).
And so I gave Susan, like Viggo gave John Wick, an impossible task. I told her I’d run Gitchi if she taught her running contacts. Mind you, Gitchi had stopped contacts and was already earning MACH points. But Susan did it. She started working with Silvia Trkman, and damn it, she did it. She brought her to me, and I told her, I don’t know how she’ll do, but I promised I’d try it, so let’s go.
And every single year I ran her, she got better. She ran faster, her lines were tighter, until we were a team. After the first year, I told Susan I would teach her backsides because I thought she could make the world team. Each season, we went months without making an error other than a bar. I think she ran in three straight AKC NAC Finals, coming within a few tenths of a second of being the only non-border collie to win the 20” class—twice.
At Tulsa in 2016, Gitchi posted the second fastest time in all heights but dropped a bar; Sarah Baker and Hops beat us by 0.18 seconds anyways, on their way to the second of three NAC titles for them. At Perry, the very next year, I clearly remember telling Gitchi right before we walked into the ring to give me everything she had and I’d give her everything I had, and I was nearly overcome with emotion, with love. We finished 3rd, 0.74 seconds behind Sue McGowen and Jedi. I’m not sad we lost; what does that matter now? It barely mattered then. I’m just trying to tell you how amazing she was to me. A golden retriever in a sea of border collies.
In 2020, Sarah created the All-Decade Power 70 ranking using the PowerScore. Among the 30 dogs in the 24″, 24C, and 26″ classes, Gitchi stands alone as the only non-Border Collie to make the list—a testament to her extraordinary ability to compete at the highest level. Of course, she was in the 26″ class. It was the hardest challenge in the sport, the division where the best of the best of that era battled for supremacy. I can still picture every dog on that list. I remember them all.
Gitchi spent part of her time with me and part of her time with Susan in Mandeville, Louisiana. My relationship with Susan began with Gitchi, and it’s impossible to think of one without the other. When I left the house, Sarah says Gitchi would go to the door and just lay there until I came back home, hours later. She was the only dog who ever slept on Hannah’s bed, at Hannah’s feet, from the time they were both three years old until they were seven or eight. That was their routine, their thing.
Susan used to give Gitchi soft-serve vanilla cones from Dairy Queen. I didn’t grow up with DQ as a ritual, but because of Gitchi, I started going as an adult. This weekend, after she passed, I went and had a Snickers Blizzard with extra Snickers in her honor. I had another one tonight. Gitchi would have wanted it that way. As long as she got her cone.
Gitchi was a competitor, but more than that, she was family. She was loyal, smart, always there. She lived in the big moments, but also in the small ones—the time spent in the same room, waiting by the door, sleeping at Hannah’s feet.
Dogs like Gitchi don’t come along often. And when they leave, they leave a void that can’t be filled. But they also leave behind something else—the memories, the moments, the quiet presence that lingers long after they’re gone.
Rest easy, Gitchi. You were one of the greats.
Westminster Crowns Agility Champions
Sarah here! Another Westminster Masters Agility Championship is in the books! The courses challenged teams with technical sequences, fast lines, and the energy of a roaring crowd at the historic Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
Here are your Westminster 2025 Winners by Jump Height:
8″ – Gabby (Papillon) – Handler: Andrea Samuels – Time: 30.05s
12″ – Swindle (Shetland Sheepdog) – Handler: Abigail Beasley – Time: 26.91s
16″ – Vanish (Border Collie) – Handler: Emily Klarman – Time: 26.49s
20″ – Shelby Cobra (Border Collie) – Handler: Amber McCune – Time: 27.57s
24″ – Sterling (Weimaraner) – Handler: Lori Barbee – Time: 34.67s
HIGHEST SCORING ALL AMERICAN DOG – Gable – Handler: Kayla Feeney
OVERALL CHAMPION – Vanish (Border Collie) – Handler: Emily Klarman
We had a great podcast with Emily Klarman on Tuesday, diving into her incredible win with Vanish and what it was like competing at Westminster. It was a fun conversation that cheered Esteban up and I highly recommend giving it a listen! 🎧🐶
🎙 Listen to the episode here: https://baddogagility.com/episode-358-westminster-masters-agility-championship-2025-with-emily-klarman/
You can reach us at team@baddogagility.com.
