January 1, 2005 marked the debut of Rally in the AKC and it has been a fun ride for us! Atlas started competing in Rally in March 2005 and earned his Rally Novice title. He took a break while we focused on Mira, but he is now training for Rally Advanced. You can see the results from his shows on Atlas' Rally Page.

Mira is our Rally star - earning her Rally Novice, Rally Advanced and Rally Excellent titles in just seven months. In 2006 she worked on her Rally Advanced Excellent title (which requires 10 double Qs) and she finished it in September 2006. We are very proud of this title as it demonstrates her consistent work in the highest levels of Rally. You can see the results from her shows on Mira's Rally Page.

Vegas started in Rally at just 16 months old and finished her Rally Novice Title with three placements. She is now training for Advanced Rally. You can see the results from her shows on Vegas' Rally Page.

Of all the events we participate in, Rally is probably the least well known because it is the newest. Rally is a sport that is something like a combination of obedience and agility. There is a numbered course with each station holding a sign describing an exercise. The dog and handler traverse the course and perform each exercise. Some of the exercises are very simple (stop and sit) and others are more difficult (jumps, heeling backwards, heeling around food, moving stands). Novice is performed on leash and all other levels are off leash. Unlimited communication with the dog is allowed, which is what we like the best. It's a very fun, positive, upbeat sport that has its own challenges just like any other sport.

See more pictures of our dogs doing Rally!