North Saanich dog becomes the canine Ovechkin with Canadian agility record<\/p>\n
Published 5:15 am Saturday, May 23, 2026<\/p>\n
Sophie grins as she leaps through a hoop, giving a side-eye search for human Ron Wright. <\/p>\n
The 11-year-old miniature Australian shepherd is clearly having a good time, checking in with Wright every few paces through her backyard agility course. Practice means treats, unlike competition.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Both are clearly enjoying themselves running about under the sun in North Saanich. Agility courses are a task the pair enjoys across B.C. and parts of Alberta, taking trips three out of four weekends a month to compete.<\/p>\n
That consistency and joy eclipsed into a Canadian record May 16.<\/p>\n
Sophie surpassed the long-standing lifetime mark for most qualifying scores in the sport of dog agility. Wright says it\u2019s akin to when Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky\u2019s all-time NHL regular-season goals record. <\/p>\n
It brings her total Canadian records to 11 \u2013 including the three highest season totals and most titles ever won. It\u2019s a testament to their consistency and longevity. <\/p>\n
READ ALSO: \u2018Doing it for pops\u2019: Victoria News rider Tony Trozzo takes on Tour de Rock<\/a><\/p>\n READ ALSO: Joe and Amy and dementia: Victoria couple faces daily loss with new friends<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s not the fastest dog, but I\u2019d say she\u2019s the smartest dog out there,\u201d Wright said. \u201cIf she didn\u2019t have fun and I didn\u2019t have fun we wouldn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n When a dog successfully completes an agility course within the set time and zero faults, that\u2019s a Qualifying Score, or Q. <\/p>\n \u201cYou accumulate Qs. The record was 2,250 Qs and no one was close,\u201d Wright said. \u201cA little while ago I thought, \u2018We can do this\u2019.\u201d It\u2019s a record the 11.5-year-old dog and her 71-year-old handler would have broken last year, except Sophie injured a shoulder. Thanks to the wonders of skilled veterinarians, she got a second shot this season. <\/p>\n Sophie and her human came to the sport kind of naturally. The shepherd was originally Wright\u2019s wife\u2019s dog, and in a to bid bond, man and dog embarked on a variety of courses \u2013 with both falling in love with agility. It became evident quickly that Sophie had talent, and both were enjoying themselves. <\/p>\n \u201cShe really liked it and I really liked it and as they say in the cliche, the rest is history,\u201d Wright said. \u201cI get to do fun things with my dog.\u201d <\/p>\n READ ALSO: You can thank bats for tequila\u2019 and other juicy tidbits as B.C. bats emerge<\/a><\/p>\n READ ALSO: Metchosin singer songwriter launches much-adored Love You Man<\/a><\/p>\n