Mashpee rescue dog Tess and her mom head to New York agility competition

Nine-year-old Tess was born in Arkansas, raised on Cape Cod and is now headed to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Tess is not a tennis star but a rescue dog owned by Linda Valente of Mashpee. Part beagle, Labrador and mountain cur, Tess has been with Valente, 66, since 2017.

Compared in dog years, they are both about the same age, she says.

They will join forces to compete in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show agility trials on May 11 in Flushing, New York, one of 350 dogs selected to compete. To qualify, the dog must have earned a master agility champion title, or MACH, or a preferred agility champion title, PACH, based on points from previous competitions.

What is an agility trial?

The agility competition sends dogs and their owners out around an obstacle course with a combination of 19 stations, jumps, a tunnel, seesaw, elevated ramp and a slalom. The timed event has faults applied to the final tabulation for errors while running the course. Dogs of all sizes compete against each other using a sliding scale based on their height to even the competition.

In preparation for their debut on the national stage, they practice once a week at Joseph’s Obedience Dog Training in Pocasset. First up is stretching, as Valente helps Tess flex her legs to warm up for the first of three runs around the course. Competitors in agility trails are given a course layout map ahead of the competition. So Valente circles the entire course by herself practicing which prompts and arm gestures she will give to guide her dog around the layout. Numbers at each location indicate which direction they will head.

Chicken, liver, steak

Tess starts from a sitting position, then on command leaps through the first jump, which triggers the start timer in competition.  The duo is off, racing around the cavernous indoor practice course. Bounding over jumps set for the dog’s height and a zigzag through blue and yellow rods, repeating in reverse direction, then a strong jump before charging back to the finish line. The second and third runs are slower, but technique is worked on, looking for a faultless run. Catching her breath after three rounds, Valente serves up a of sampling of popular treats, from chicken to liver, suggesting that steak should be on the menu after they complete their first two rounds at the Westminster show.

After snack break Tess sprawls out to relax as her owner goes over preparation details for competition. Valente says her dog will likely fall fast asleep on the couch when they get home. No matter how they do in their first Westminster event, they will take it all in stride. No pressure, just fun.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Mashpee rescue dog Tess and her mom head to New York agility competition