Sassy 13-year-old dog from Johnstown is an Agility Grand Champion

Katie, a 13-year-old, 10-pound Maltipoo, a Maltese Toy Poodle mix, earned the title this summer of Agility Grand Champion from the American Kennel Club.

“She is the first dog in Colorado to do it,” to be named an AKC Agility Grand Champion, said Alison Day, of Johnstown, Katie’s owner.

The feat was accomplished over about a five-year period with more than 100 competitions in at about a dozen states.

“It was an accumulation of qualifying runs” dating back to 2016, Day said. “It was a lofty goal, that sounded impossible, but I thought, ‘I can do it,’ and I just never gave up. Neither did Katie.”

Katie, Day and her husband, Pat Clements, traveled to Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Montana, Wyoming and other states prior to Katie’s AKC title performance on July 2 in Castle Rock at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in an event hosted by the Mile Hi Golden Retriever Club. 

“We did some traveling,” Day said.

Day describes Katie as a “sassy” dog. “She is very opinionated, very clear at communicating what she wants.”

One of her favorite pass times at home is fetching a blue ball.

“She is pretty outgoing, but when she wants her ball thrown, she is pretty demanding,” Clements said.

The couple raised Katie since she was a ten-week-old puppy, back in 2008.

“She loves to compete,” Day said, adding that Katie has overcome a “bad knee” in pursuit of the champion title. The keen canine competitor is now considered “semi-retired.”

“I’m honored and thrilled to be Katie’s mom,” Day said. “She is a great little dog.”

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