AZ Dog Sports is extremely proud to announce that one of our own has earned the highest honor an agility dog can achieve … the MACH Title!

CONGRATULATIONS TO JETT COMISE AND HIS HANDLER SANDI!!

This month we celebrate you, Jett!  We are so proud of your achievement!

Let’s hear the story from Sandi’s point of view…

My handsome, wonderful Papillon, Jett; has earned the VERY DIFFICULT to achieve agility title of “MACH” – Master Agility Champion in AKC.  On February 11, 2018 he crossed the finish line and became a MACH Dog!  This has been a very exciting and emotional adventure with my sweet, big boy Jett!  We call him Jumbo Jett because he’s 14 ½” tall, oversize for a Pap.  I also have his Champion mom, dad and sister who are normal size.  He jumps 16”!

The road to a MACH is very challenging.  You could call it the “Agony and the Ecstasy!”  You enter lots and lots of trials, spending lots and lots of $$, but may not always qualify.  In fact, it can be a long dry spell in between “Q’s”.  Your dog is not a robot and you are not always a helpful handler.  But my boy, Jett is a willing team player.  And win or lose, we are both doing what we really enjoy!

When I started this adventure with Jett, I was just having fun with my dog, like I’ve been doing in agility for many years with all my dogs.  Then I began to realize he was getting very consistent.  I’m not a competitive person.  This is just a sport I love to do with my dogs.  But as he earned more QQ’s and points, I thought we might have a chance at a MACH!  As the journey progressed, I sometimes doubted my skills as Jett’s handler, because most mistakes are made by the human!  He probably had the same thoughts (oh boy, she forgot the course!).  I remember having a conversation with myself at a low period in trialing.  “Sandie, if you want Jett to do his best, then YOU better step up to the plate and be as great a handler as you can be for Jett!”.  It’s a TEAM EFFORT.  As I kept telling and pushing myself, things got better!

I’m truly, truly, grateful to my loving, patient boy, Jett for all he has accomplished and taught me along the way!

LOVE THE DOGS YOU TEACH!

TEACH THE DOGS YOU LOVE!

~ Sandie Comise

A Master Agility Champion (MACH) title is something that only dogs who exhibit superior performance on the agility course can earn. In order to achieve this, Jett mastered both speed and consistency in his performances. The requirements for earning this title are a minimum of 750 speed points (by running faster than standard course time) and 20 double qualifying points (by qualifying in the Standard class and the Jumpers With Weaves class on the same day.)

According to akc.com, the first MACH title was earned in 2000 by a Shetland Sheepdog named “Wyatt”. If you see the MACH title followed by a number (i.e. MACH2), the 2 denotes the number of times the dog has earned a MACH.