Junior handlers, dogs head to Fla. agility competitionByAmanda OglesbyStaff Writer

LAKEWOOD - Poised andready to run, ginger-furredChancy focused intently onthe face of 12-year-old KaitlynScripko of Jackson. After amoment of eye contact, Kait-lyn burst into action, leadingChancy - a Pembroke Welshcorgi - through a tunnel, oversmall jumps and up and downramps inside the Clever K9Dog Training center, here.

The two are preparing forthe American Kennel ClubJunior Agility Competition to

be held Dec. 16 in Orlando,Fla. This will be the AmericanKennel Club's first junioragility competition, open toqualifying dog handlers underthe age of 18, at the annualAgility Invitational.

Kaitlyn, her 14-year-oldbrother Kyle, and mother AnnMarie Scripko - who ownsClever K9 Dog Training -will attend the Agility In-vitational with Chancy anddogs Dash, Ruby and Wolf.

The Juniors Agility Compe-tition is open to the top SOjunior handlers in the country,said Ann Marie Scripko, 42, of

Jackson. Agility is a newertype of dog competition thanobedience training, and isgrowing in popularity, shesaid.

In agility competitions,dogs race through an obstaclecourse of tunnels, seesaws,jumps, A~frame hills andsuspended tire jumps. Dogsmust compete the course withno mistakes, such as knockingover a jump. The shorter thetime the dog completes thecourse, the higher the score,Scripko said.

"Agility is like a teamsport. It's a lot of running, a

lot of adrenaline," said Scrip-ko, who trained horses profes-sionally before deciding totrain dogs.

Many of the same princi-ples apply to training dogs astraining horses, she said.

"If you're on a horse andmake a mistake, it's a lot moreserious," said Scripko, whobroke her back horsebackriding five years ago. "Mostpeople don't break their backsrunning a dog. It's a little bitsafer."

Scripko shares her love of

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training dogs in agility trials withher two children, as well as Nan-cy and Michael Borga Jr. of PointPleasant. The Borga family, withtheir l:4-year old son MichaelBorga III, will join the Scripkosin Florida to compete in the Ju-nior Agility Competition.

Michael Borga III, a student atMemorial Middle School in PointPleasant, will run 3-year-old poo-dle Mitsy in the competition.

"It's fun because it is interest-ing," Michael said about trainingdogs.

The competition is "just anoth-er day of playing and having fun"for the dogs, said Kyle Scripko,who will compete with his 4-year-old Belgian Malinois namedDash. "More kids should try (dog)agility."

Chancy continued to racearound the track, his paws pound-ing the spongy floor while hiseyes fixated on Kaitlyn. Occa-sionally, the Christa McAuliffeMiddle School student wouldtreat Chancy with tiny pieces ofcheese after a lap around thecourse.

"The dogs really love it," saidMichael Borga Jr. "Even the olddogs will do this until they drop."

First-place winners of theJuniors Agility Competition will

Observer Reporter

Michael Borga, 14, of Point Pleasant" leads Mitsy through the agility course at Clever Kg inLakewood. He is preparing for dog agility competitions in Florida.

receive $100, a medallion andplacement rosette, and a mono-grammedleash,accordingtheAmerican Kennel Club website.

Attending the junior competi-tion "is going to be a first for all

of us," said Ann Marie Scripko"We're looking forward to it...Our goal is to go again next year."

Amanda Oglesby: 732-557-5701;aoglesby@njpressmedia.com