Albany dog Phoenix and owner Chantelle Hartney shine at national competition in agility and jumping heats

An Albany dog called Phoenix has finished runner-up in the 2023 National Dog Agility Trial held in Perth, competing alongside her owner Chantelle Hartney. Phoenix, a husky cross border collie, is no stranger to competitions and competes across both jumping and agility heats at the masters level. Competing at the age of seven and a half, Phoenix has been training since she was a puppy and gradually made her way to jumping and weaving. Ms Hartney is incredibly proud of Phoenix and regularly trains with her for different competitions. “She hasn’t titled agility masters yet, and at seven and a half I’m not too sure how far her agility career is going to go.” Even though Phoenix placed runner-up at the nationals, she remains the defending State jumping champion. Ms Hartney started training dogs in 2003 and recently completed her qualification through the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers. Her passion for working with animals shines through as she gets Phoenix to demonstrate her impressive jumping and obedience skills. “I’ve always had a passion for dogs and getting them to learn stuff,” she said. “So I work as a vet nurse and dog trainer and I’ve been working in vet nursing for 23 years now.”