Mia the beagle might not have won the 2017 Westminster Masters Agility Championship on Saturday, but her performance on the obstacle course won't soon be forgotten.
The dog, who competed alongside her owner, Natalie Fisher of Medford, after making the cut for the agility final, which aired Sunday night on FS1, demonstrated that even the highest ranking dogs will sometimes stray from their practiced moves to ... well, be a dog. The result, as per a commentator: "A delightfully entertaining run."
Dogs competing in agility have to complete a series of feats including jumps through hoops and over hurdles, a walk on top of a seesaw-like teeter and a sprint through a tunnel. The whole run is timed, and the dog with the fastest time wins. Trick, a border collie from Rhode Island, took the top prize.
Mia, however, wandered off a few times and just kind of a stood there as Fisher, a junior handler, urged her on. If that wasn't enough to endear her to the audience, she just flat out planted herself on the floor and started sniffing her behind.
The dog ended the run with 16 faults in total, but memory made!
Agility was added to the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in 2014. The traditional breed show, which started Monday at Piers 92 and 94 in New York, continues with the first night of group competition (hound, herding, toy and non-sporting groups) from 8 to 11 p.m. on FS1.
Viewing information for the Westminster Kennel Club dog show:
- Portions of breed judging will air from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14 on Nat Geo Wild.
- Daytime breed judging streams live from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 14 at Fox Sports Go.
- Group competition (hound, herding, toy and non-sporting groups) airs from 8 to 11 p.m. on Feb. 13 and from 8 to 11 p.m. on Feb. 14 (sporting, working, terrier groups and best in show) on FS1 (Fox Sports 1). Visit westminsterkennelclub.org for more information.
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