Staff Spotlight: SLU's Rupprecht is an 'Agility Dog Addict'

03/08/2018

SLU staff member Diana Rupprecht’s workouts have gone to the dogs.

Rupprecht, program coordinator for the Center for Environmental and Occupational Health in the College for Public Health and Social Justice, spends lunch hours and weekends racking up between 18,000 and 30,000 steps as she trains Katy and Leo, her two current canine agility competitors. Directed by Rupprecht, Katy and Leo practice navigating obstacle courses – jumping, tunneling and running as quickly as they can. Rupprecht fell head over heels for the sport 15 years ago, when her son went off to college.

“I’d never been much of a sports person, but I fell in love with it,” Rupprecht said.

She became a member of the Greater St. Louis Agility Club and joined other members in setting up practice courses and for weekend competitions where dog owners bond with their furry pets and new-found friends.

Rupprecht and her pups have taken part in a number of competitions, all of which include events designed to challenge breeds to perform the tasks they were bred for.  Events can include lure coursing, a sight hound-oriented event. The event, which takes place in a large field, typically uses a 650 lure line that is connected to the ground covering up to 650 yards and includes making turns and going up and down hills. The dog is judged on their interest in the chase and to follow the lure as its pulled along accurately.

Other events include herding for breeds like Shetland sheepdogs, tunnel-following events for terriers, barn hunts for prey-seeking breeds, as well as tracking, obedience, and rally events that mix agility activities and obedience drills.

While all of the events allow owners to verbally urge on their canine competitors, treats and toys aren't allowed until after the dog has completed the event.

Zoe Boudreau, a yellow Labrador retriever, was Rupprecht’s first agility dog. Training Zoe in agility was a way to give her a "job" so that she wouldn't be destructive at home. It worked. Rupprecht and Zoe developed as a team, the pooch's bad behavior stopped, and an agility addiction was born.

The lab went on to win her first championship when she was over 12 years old.

“All of a sudden, it was all clicking,” Rupprecht recalled. Even when Zoe got too old to compete, she would follow Katy, a border collie, around the course as the younger dog practiced.

Rupprecht’s second dog, Onyx, a black Lab, ran agility and lure courses as well. While a crowd pleaser because of her sense of humor and antics, Onyx was better suited to work as a therapy dog than competing, Rupprecht said.

But Katy was a natural competitor.

“Katy’s kind of a savant,” her owner joked, pointing to pictures of the proud pooch displaying her championship ribbons that Rupprecht has taped to her office door in Salus Center. Katy mastered her first American Kennel Club (AKC) MACH (Master Agility Champion) title in a year.

“It was neat to have a dog that really looked at me and responded.”

In addition to her nine current AKC MACH titles, Katy has also earned a championship title from the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA) and has qualified six times for the sport’s national championships. She and Rupprecht have hit the road four times to take part in those games, competing twice in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Perry, Georgia.  The duo qualified for this year's AKC National Championship in Reno, Nevada, but decided against competing due to the long drive. They have also already qualified for the 2019 National Agility Championship (NAC) that will be held in March 2019. Her brother Leo, is working on qualifying, Rupprecht said.

Katy's best national finish was in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 2014, when she finished 35th out of 443 dogs jumping in the 20 inch height class. Katy has finished in the top 25 percent of dogs competing at all of the national competitions in which she has competed.

Rupprecht’s dogs also have aspirations of YouTube stardom, with their owner posting videos of their runs.

“We people who do agility get addicted,” Rupprecht explained. “It makes our lives. We live and breathe agility.”

For now, as Katy trains for her next title, Rupprecht is also working with Leo, another rescued border collie, who has already won his second title in lure coursing. She also sees a future for the youngster Leo as a therapy dog.

And Rupprecht’s love of the sport doesn’t end at her office door. All of her dogs’ ribbons, press articles and trophies line the wall. Photos of her prize pups decorate her desk and door.

“Agility is my mental clearance,” she explained. “Work can be harried and go and run with my dogs and it clears my head.”Competing with her dogs, she says, makes her an even better worker and resource for the center’s faculty and students. Her colleagues might also be interested to know that despite getting tens of thousands of steps, she has yet to use them for SLU’s annual Walk to Madrid competition, although she’d love to participate.

Staff Spotlight is an occasional series dedicated to revealing the stories behind the name badges of SLU's staff members. To suggest a staff member to shine a light on, contact Newslink or call 314-977-2519.