Paisle had her first combined class yesterday, on both agility and rally.
Rally is a relatively new type of Obedience training, which can lead to AKC competitions in rally. Since Paisle (and Marshal, and Ansel) are all rescues, none of them have papers. The good news--the AKC has decided paperless dogs may compete as well! Any of our crew can get Purebred Alternative Listing/Indefinite Listing Privilege (PAL/ILP) papers, as long as the pooches are of a REGISTRABLE BREED.
The American Staffordshire Terrier became a recognized AKC breed in 1936 (well after WWI's most decorated dog, Stubby, earned the rank of Sergeant). The American Pit Bull Terrier is not an AKC registered breed.
So who does Paisle look like? This beautiful Am Staff boy is copied straight from the AKC web site.
And here is the Presa Canario, which is supposed to be her cross (from the AKC FSS link)...
FSS stands for Foundation Stock Service. It means the AKC has leant it's name to these breeds, not as a registered breed but at a lower level, where the breed can use association with the AKC as a note of validity, but they are not an AKC registered breed. The Presa Canario is one of the FSS breeds that is able to compete in Companion Events, including rally and agility. Lucky for me, these dogs are behemoths, and the Bean is just a tiny little thing. According to various breed sites, females must be at least 85 lbs, and Paisle is only 56lbs. I am extremely skeptical that Paisle has any P.C. in her. P.C.s are very often brindle, as is the Bean, but she has none of the bulk or stockiness these beauties have. It would be better to compare head shots without cropped ears, but I could not find any.
So...we'll try registering Paisle. As the judging is subjective, it is possible the AKC will reject her. Her application must be accompanied by two photos, one clearly showing her head, the other of her entire body, taken on firm footing (not grass) and at her eye level.
The class itself is great! There will be four total, three hours each. We're learning rally and agility at the same time, and I bought some fun equipment to enhance our training--weave poles and one jump.
I'll write more about rally and agility tomorrow.
Much love to you Everett!
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