Hard work and perseverance have paid off for Stevenson junior Andrea Hashimoto. After seven years of training with her dogs, Andrea and her German Shepherd named "Hank" placed third in the National Championships held in Carson City, Nevada on November 5-7.
Andrea explains, "I have always grown up with dogs and my dad has trained dogs for as long as I can remember; however, on my ninth birthday, my dad got me my first German Shepherd dog. He helped me train her, and I had an unforgettable time!
"My next dog, I got as a puppy and have been training him throughout his life. We have become very close friends in the sport we compete in. First, we passed the beginning level, then the first, second, and last level. Then, we worked for and competed at regionals, where we qualified for nationals.
"Though this dog sport is not well known, it has many talented trainers who compete for places at nationals, North Americans, and eventually worlds. At these nationals, it was our lucky weekend - we placed third. I will continue training with my dad and my dog and work towards another large competition this coming spring."
More information about the competition can be found at these websites:
www.usanationalchampionship.com
www.germanshepherddog.com