SANDRA KATZEN has competed in the sport of dog agility since 1990 and founded Vortex Agility in 2001. She was one of the four co-founders of the North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC) in 1993, and served as its Vice President from

1993 to 1997. She has also served as Chairperson of the Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA) Agility Committee from 1991 to 1997, and has served as President, Vice President, and Secretary for the ASCA-WA Affiliate.

Sandra has been a certified judge with the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA) since 1992 and judged for the North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC) from 1993 to 2009. She is a judge and course reviewer for ASCA and a judge for UK Agility International (UKI). She has judged or taught seminars in most of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.

She was asked to be the judge at the very first national championships of the Australian Dog Agility Council, held in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, in 2002. In 2003 she was invited to return to judge the championships in Australia and teach a series of workshops.

Sandra broadened her international scope in May of 2013, when she traveled to Belgium to judge an ASCA trial and teach seminars. In 2015 she did the same in Finland. She has returned to both of those countries since, and has also had judging assignments in Germany and Austria. She will return to Austria in 2019.

Sandra is also active in the sport of sheepdog trialing, and has also in the past competed in obedience and disk dog competitions.

SANDRA’S DOGS, PAST AND PRESENT

PAST ...

KODI the Australian Shepherd was Sandra’s first agility dog. Kodi was a, let’s say “spirited” dog, and after many trials and tribulations (and after being told to give it all up more than once!) Sandra and Kodi came together as a team, and won the 20-inch Elite division in the 1996 NADAC Championships. Kodi was the 7th dog to earn a NATCH (NADAC’s championship title), the first dog to earn an ATCH (championship title in ASCA), and earned an ADCH (championship title in USDAA). She also earned herding and obedience titles in ASCA.

NIFTY was a fun-loving border collie who earned championship

titles in USDAA and NADAC. Although he was not as driven as Kodi (few dogs were), he was an especially honest dog — he did exactly what he was told to do — so taught Sandra much about commitment in handling. A career highlight: Nifty competed in a number of trials with a “guest handler” who was not mobile enough to run the course, so used an electric cart. Nifty was up to the task (few dogs were).

TREK, Sandra’s red tri border collie, was one of those few dogs as driven as Kodi. She was famous for her bowing, sprinter-in-the-start-blocks stance at the start line and for her relentless quest for perfection, both in her own performance and that of her handler. She earned championship titles in USDAA, NADAC, and ASCA, and won first place in her class at  Northwest Regional of USDAA, one year in the regular division and the next year as a veteran.

ZEPHYR the border collie was a “fostered dog” who somehow ended up as part of the household. He earned championship titles in USDAA and NADAC, and also competed in ASCA, CPE, and UKI. His career high point was at the 2012 CPE Nationals, where he placed 1st in his division in Regular and 6th overall in Games, running with Sandra’s housemate Gordon Frazier, who had by then evolved from “guest handler” to official owner. Zephyr also excelled at disk dog sports with his other handler Robert Gutierrez.

... AND PRESENT

LARK the border collie, recently retired, has been Sandra’s go-to agility dog for years, but with her own set of trials and tribulations — in her case an issue with sound sensitivity. Lark developed a fear of certain loud noises, including whistles, with time and patience Sandra worked through the problem, and Lark competed at the top of her class — even in Snooker!

PIXI and Sandra continue to work toward their goal of being a consistent team on the agility course. Will they get there before Pixi retires? Time will tell. Pixi also enjoys spending time doing what she perhaps considers her “real” job: sheepherding.

CIOBAIR is the daughter of Pixi. She began her formal agility training in February 2013. Her other vocations include herding sheep like her mother and perimeter patrol (which she take quite seriously).

PRANK , grandson of Pixi, nephew of Ciobair, is the newest addition to the dogpack. Born in July of 2018, he is too young to compete, but dogs are never to young to learn — and he’s learning new things every day. His latest new skill: how to play with a cat!