Mailbag
Sarah here! In last week’s Wrap Up, I mentioned that the AKC/FCI Agility World Championship team had a restriction preventing handlers from making the team with more than one dog. Shortly after it went out, I received a very kind note from Anne Riba letting me know that this rule has actually been removed. The change was made in the last year or so when John Nys and Anne Riba were coaching Team USA for the AWC. I’m very glad to hear it. In my opinion, allowing the best dog-and-handler teams to earn their place, whether that means one dog or two, is the right approach and helps ensure the strongest possible team represents the U.S. on the world stage. So consider this a quick correction to last week’s note, and credit to Anne and John for making a positive change.
New Podcast: Dog Agility on Netflix?
What would a dog agility series on Netflix or another streaming platform actually look like? In this week’s podcast, Esteban, Jennifer, and I brainstorm different ways the sport could be presented to a mainstream audience. We discuss formats ranging from a behind-the-scenes documentary that follows top teams through a season, to a reality-style show focused on the personalities of handlers and their dogs, to a global competition series built around the biggest events in the sport.
During the recording I also learned something new from Jennifer: there’s already a docuseries called A Different Breed, available on Amazon Prime Video. The nine-episode series follows competitors in agility, dock diving, and canine freestyle as they work their way toward the 2024 Incredible Dog Challenge National Finals. I haven’t seen it yet, but now that I know about it, it’s definitely on my watch list.
You can listen to the full episode here:
https://baddogagility.com/episode-383-dog-agility-on-netflix/
SOAWC Tryouts Results
In addition to selecting the European Open Team, the EO Team Tryouts also awarded win-on spots for the 2026 Senior Agility Open, which will be held July 10–12 in Mannheim, Germany. The Senior Open is an international competition for handlers 55 and older, and several spots are earned directly at the tryouts.
Win-On Team Members
Small
- Chibi & Mich Powers
- Happy & Diane Patterson
Medium
- Cinco & Donna Staivecki
- Dodger & Byron Dail
Intermediate
- Hottie & Don St. Croix
- Jam & Soshana Dos
Large
- Ronan & Karen Kosco
- Fantastic & Michelle Beardsley
The remainder of the 2026 Senior Agility Open Team is expected to be announced by March 15th.
What We’re Watching
Esteban and I asked and you delivered! We needed a new show to watch and we found, binged, and finished one this week (to be fair, it’s spring break for high schools here). Young Sherlock was gripping, intelligent, and entertaining. The characters and the acting are perfect. This may be a bit of a spoiler, but the friendship between Sherlock and Moriarty feels genuine. And I LOVED the way they portrayed Sherlock going “inside of his brain” to recall things or figure out key clues. I highly recommend it!
We have also watched 9 of 10 episodes of Murderbot. It’s a pretty entertaining, but also interesting and somewhat reflective show about a rogue security bot. It’s a little hard to describe, but you’ll get a sense from the trailer.
Thanks to our reader who suggested it! Only one person made that suggestion, so you know who you are 😉
Send me comments and questions at team@baddogagility.com.
Happy Training,
