He was the last of nine puppies to be adopted from the litter at 8 weeks of age when he went home with Charleata Carter. “Sebastian has always been happy, relaxed, smart, and friendly with almost every human and animal he meets,  and he is always eager to try something new,” Charleata said. Her friends […]

Jennifer Clemons of Las Vegas, NV, shared this story of how her first dog, Maddy, led her to dog training classes and then agility competitions. Today, Maddy is MACH Madeline of Pine Banks  MXB  MXS T2B2 OF - a recipient of the AKC's top honor in Agility - the Master Agilty Championship (MACH). Maddy competes […]

In summer 2009, Shelley stopped by her local shelter in Princeton, NJ, in search of a new companion. “I had just lost my dog and was looking for a large, friendly dog to adopt,” she said. “The staff showed me the dogs they thought I might like, but there wasn't a match. Then they brought […]

Timber received an Honorable Mention award in the 2015 AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE) in the category of Service Dog. His owner, Morgan Master, a veterinary technician of Equinunk, PA, tells the story of how Timber went from being a victim of horrible act to becoming a service dog who saved her […]

Karen Powell of Frankfort, KY, fostered two littermates eight years ago and never dreamed that both of them would end up living with her permanently and having successful careers in AKC dog sports. Cody recently earned his AKC Preferred Agility Championship (PACH) through the AKC Canine Partners program for all dogs, including mixed-breeds and rescues. […]

Ohio teenager Mariah Bradley and her family adopted a puppy from a rescue group five years ago. The Australian Shepherd mix was smart, but active, and soon Mariah got involved with training him through 4H. Before long, the pair were competing in 4H events and did so well that they started competing in AKC events […]

Sype's Harlie RN TD TDU THD CGCA CGCU, known as just Harlie, has so many dog sports titles now that they are longer than his name. But as a puppy, Harlie was abandoned by his owner in a vacant rental property with little food or water because she said the pup was “untrainable.” Harlie’s loving […]

MACH Sir Tucker MXB MJG MXF MFB T2B3 CGC owned by Scott & Denise Beaumont of Granite Falls, WA In November 2010, Scott & Denise helped “socialize” a litter of 8-week-old Aussie mix puppies at Lil’ Waif Puppy Rescue, not intending to bring one home. “But Tucker chose us that day.  Thankfully he did,” Denise […]

When we first got Murphy as a puppy in March 2012, it was difficult to walk him, and he was afraid of everything and simultaneously wanted to chase everything else. We finally broke down and attended some formal training classes, where we finally understood how to communicate effectively with each other. In a little under […]

Tyson was approximately 12 weeks old when he joined Cindy’s family in July 2010. He was rescued off the streets of Detroit, found by a local rescue group, in a box labeled “Free Puppies” along with three others.  Cindy took Tyson to puppy class and progressed to basic obedience and early agility training. “At 18 […]