Bill started playing agility with his rambunctious, misbehaved, 2-year-old Rat Terrier, Maggie Mae in 2007 as a way to shape good behavior, build confidence, and try to burn off some of her seemingly limitless energy. Although Bill didn’t think Maggie was smart enough to learn agility, she proved him wrong and they grew as a team. They competed at DACOF for the first time in 2010 as part of Mindy Cox’s Lucky Dog Sports Club Team and were part of the team again the following year. In August 2011, through the mentoring and encouragement from his close friend and instructor, Sonya Cerron, Bill began teaching agility classes at the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast (HSTC) in Palm City, Florida.

 

Bill helped form the First HSTC DACOF Team in 2012 and has been instrumental in bringing their team back each year since. Bill was nominated by Annette Smith and voted by the Membership to be the 2014 DACOF Vice President before being nominated and elected the following year as the 2015 DACOF President.

 

Although Bill started this agility journey trying to help Maggie become a better family member, he realizes that Maggie (who through her career earned five MACh’s and was ranked as high as 9th Rat Terrier for AKC Invitationals) was actually the one teaching and helping Bill become a better person. Maggie has since passed to the Rainbow Bridge, but Bill continues to train, play and compete with his “Call Me Farms” Rat Terriers, Romeo and Pi.