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Rob Robinson
Agility
Rob Robinson and his wife Kandy (who judged for this club last year)
have been active in dog sports for more than 35 years. The last 16 years
were
almost exclusively devoted to the sport of dog agility. He’s been judging AKC dog agility for about 6 years.
His first agility dog, a Border Collie (rescue), “Freckles”, began her
agility career at age eight; this following an “somewhat above average”
obedience career. However, they were both burned out on obedience and were
looking for another outlet; dog agility was on their radar. Two years
later (Freckles, now 10) finished 10th overall in the 20 inch division at
the 1997 AKC National Agility Championships in Atlanta. In another two
years (Freckles is now 12) they finished 5th overall in the 20 inch class
at the 1999 AKC National Agility Championships in Denver. The majority of
their fellow competitors were respectively about half their ages at the
time.
While such accomplishments might be considered ‘memorable’ - somewhere
in that same timeframe was (by Rob’s own assessment) the “best day he’s
ever had in dog sports.” At a multi-venue event at the Horse Park in
Lexington, KY, “Freckles finished “First” in the Excellent B Standard
agility class early in the morning. Mid-morning they won the Utility B
obedience class (completing her UD title), and immediately following,
returned to the agility field to Win the Excellent B Jumpers agility
class; all before noon.”
Rob believes maybe both he and Freckles were fated to be thrown
together as they were and when they were. Freckles very much needed to be
rescued from a “tied out in the backyard 24/7” situation and Rob had lost
two promising young Bearded Collies in a row; one to canine Lupus and the
other to a fatal reaction to anesthesia. He adds, he was “about to give up
on dogs.”
Soon after the two AKC Nationals events, noted above, Freckles and Rob
became the charter members of the Eukanuba Elite Team, sponsored by the
IAMs Company, and for the next 2+ years they made appearances all over the
U.S., doing agility demos and telling their story about “. . .the
importance and benefits of keeping older dogs healthy and athletically
active”. Freckles passed on in 2003, just two weeks short of 16 years of
age. Her pictures are still being used in advertising today and a portrait
of Freckles is displayed at the IAMs Corporate offices in Dayton. Rob
insists however that the most important images and memories are in his
head; her asleep in his lap on a IAMs Co. corporate jet, “talks” they had
during walks, or her playing – even at almost 16.
Rob now trains and runs Border Collies and Cardigan Welch Corgis in AKC
agility. His current BC (“Spectacle”) is pictured here.
Rob and Kandy are on the road, either competing or judging, about 45
weekends a year. He states, “I cannot imagine being involved in a better
sport or knowing a warmer community of dog enthusiasts”
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AKC/Eukanuba National
Championship. In 2002, I judged Obedience at the AKC Eukanuba Obedience
Invitational, making me the only person to judge both breed and obedience
at the AKC/Eukanuba Invitational events. Also in 2002, I received the
American Kennel Club lifetime achievement award for obedience. 
