Sally Wynes and Phoenix Agility

“I love every minute of it”

The agility bug bit Sally Wynes over 15 years ago, when she took her first German Shepherd Dog, Anna, along to a local agility school. Sally explains, “After doing obedience classes with Anna, it was suggested that we should try agility. She proved to be a natural and we had great fun at shows, and I was hooked”. Anna’s greatest success was to qualify for the GSD Agility League Final – a competition that is, sadly, no longer in existence.

Since then, Sally has done agility with all her German Shepherd Dogs with varying degrees of success. Ben, a black long coat GSD, was a particular delight. He won Sally out of Elementary (now Grade 1) and showed great promise when he had to be retired at 5 years old due to Hip Dysplasia.

Through the agility network (of training and shows), Sally met others that also enjoyed the thrill of competition and the fun of training. Some of these friendships have remained strong to this day, and Sally and five of these friends were so enthused with agility that they decided to start their own Agility Club.

In 2002, Sally, Di, Mike, Pippa, Sharon and Maureen launched Phoenix Agility at the White Horse Equestrian Centre in Westbury and offered classes for both beginners and experienced handlers and dogs. According to the Somerset Standard and Guardian, on the first open day, the club “attracted about 25 prospective members from as far afield as the Chew Valley”.

The club soon outgrew their meeting place and moved to larger premises at the Haywood Equestrian Centre, just north of Westbury. “Our present premises are ideal for agility,” says Sally. “The equestrian centre is extremely large and we are able to split the classes on Tuesday evenings with plenty of room to spare. Additionally, as we’re under cover, we are not dependent on the weather and we train right through the winter months.”

Sally lives nearby in Beckinton with her husband, two German Shepherd Dogs and lots of fish. She jokes, “My husband claims he is third in my life, after the dogs!” She has a married son living in Australia and a married daughter and two grandchildren living in Scotland.

“Dogs have been part of my family for the past 40 odd years,” says Sally, and adds, “All of them have been rescue dogs, with German Shepherds for the last 17 years. At present, we have Georgia, a 10-year-old long coat GSD who is very easygoing, a fun agility dog but, sadly, now retired. And we have Max, a 3½ year old GSD who has a few problems around other dogs but is proving to be a great agility dog”.

Georgia, Sally and Max

Amongst other jobs, she has worked in a boarding kennel and a grooming parlour before doing 23 years for a wholesale news agency and, finally, 6 years at Homebase. She says, “I retired last year and am enjoying every minute…when did I have time to go to work! Now there’s time for the dogs and the great walks around here.”

Sally also teaches daytime agility at Frome K9, owned and run by her good friend Sharon Arnold. “Sharon was training with us when we started out, but her dog training school was growing so fast she found she couldn’t do both. I’m also incredibly busy, but I love every minute of it”.

Sally puts Max through his paces.

Over the years, Sally has trained with various trainers and clubs and attended training days with others and claims, “I find it helpful to have different methods available as no two dogs are the same”.

Some of the members of Phoenix Agility go on to compete and, as Sally says, “We will always encourage them. However, there are others that just come here for fun”. She continues, “We have done agility displays with our members at various fetes and run inter club matches. We also have visiting trainers who contribute new training ideas”.

Sally and Max

Twice a year, the club hosts beginner’s classes where, during a 10-week course, you and your dog can get the feel of agility. The classes are kept small – usually only six dogs per class – and are made up of all breeds and ages of dogs. The handlers are also a good mix of breed and age with differing levels of fitness. An experienced instructor (of which there are 8, including Sally) will guide you and your dog through the course. As Sally says, “It’s just as much about training the handler as it is about training the dog”.

I took Molly on the 10-week beginner’s course and was impressed with the friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Sally says, “When we started Phoenix Agility, we wanted a club where people and their dogs could come and, as well as learning that agility is a great way to build a relationship with their dog, could have a social evening and some fun.”

The courses are reasonably priced and work out at only £4 per week. At the end of the course, you are offered membership to Phoenix Agility and, once a member, you are entitled to attend training sessions every Tuesday for a modest £4 per session.

Molly’s first session was preceded by a “come and meet us and see how we train” visit. We arrived at the Haywood Equestrian Centre (just off the A350, north of Westbury). The large gates that allow entry into the centre were a bit disconcerting. Not only do they open themselves when you approach (which is handy), but they boast a large sign saying, “No Dogs Allowed”! On the same gate is another incongruous sign saying, “Beware of the Dog”!

Not easily deterred, we continue up the driveway to the huge covered horse arena. The ground in the arena is covered with shredded rubber tyres which is lovely and spongy to walk on – it feels like you are wearing a pair of top dollar Air Nikes. Sally, and several other ‘newbies’ were there to greet us, and we had a lot of fun that evening.

Each of the ‘newbies’ were shown how to take their dog through a small agility course consisting of several low jumps and a tunnel. Molly insisted on going ‘around’ the jumps and I ended up jumping the jumps with her. Luckily, she went through the tunnel without hesitation!

Molly and I have since completed our 10-week course and have a certificate to prove it. During the course, we progressed from jumps and tunnel to see-saw and A-frame. It was a fun course and, at times, hilarious given Molly’s antics and my ineptitude. I intend to continue with the weekly sessions, as I’m sure we’ll improve. And, that’s the thing about Phoenix Agility – you don’t have to be perfect; you just have to enjoy it.

If you’re free on Tuesday evenings, between 7.30 and 9.30, and have wondered if you and your dog would enjoy agility, Sally encourages people to come along and watch a session: “We always welcome anyone who just wants to come and see how we train before they commit themselves”.

For further details please contact Sally Wynes:

Tel: 01373 831240

Email: sallywynes@aol.com

Author: Kay Wheatley. Photos contributed by Sally Wynes.

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