At nine years old, Morgan Johnson is among the youngest competitors in the sport of agility – and certainly among the youngest handlers competing at the 2024 AKC Agility Invitational. Part of the AKC National Championship week, presented by Royal Canin, agility teams competed at the Orange County Convention Center on December 14-15. The top five dogs in each breed received an invitation to compete at this event, and in addition, an agility competition for junior handlers was held.
In 2023, Morgan was the youngest competitor at the 19th annual AKC Agility Invitational. Her mom found out in 2022 that any child with a Junior Handler number could participate – they didn’t have to be nine years old. In 2024, she was among a small group of the youngest competitors, which is no small feat on such a major competition. She said she was “a bit nervous, but mostly excited” about competing.
Her mom, Paige, used to compete for many years at the invitational with her Beauceron, and as a single mom, this meant that Morgan got to come along. “She grew up going with me to this super special big dog show, and had always aspired to compete there,” Paige says. Aside from competing, they volunteered at the event whenever they could since they’re local in Orlando.
Paige Johnson
Paige has always been into dog sports, including agility and obedience. Her grandmother was an AKC obedience judge, and this influence meant she grew up training dogs and doing obedience with the Orlando Dog Training Club. Her first agility trial was in 1998 when she was 13 years old. When Morgan was born, she didn’t stop going to trials – instead, she brought Morgan along, often carrying her on her shoulders while she walked the courses before her runs. Little did she know, this would inspire her daughter to follow in her footsteps.
Though her Beauceron has since passed away, Paige and Morgan are still competing with their other dogs whenever they can. They have several dogs they are actively competing with, including four Border Collies that were part of their AKC Agility League team. Morgan ran one, “Anka,” and will be running with an additional dog this year for Agility League. This year at the Agility Invitational, Paige didn’t compete: the spotlight was just on Morgan.
Morgan didn’t just spend her weekend in the agility ring. “While I was there, I did Rally and Obedience,” Morgan says. “I was also in the breed ring with my Russian Toy puppy, ‘Valerian.'” She said it was a bit scary showing her dog on such a big stage. Valerian was only eight months old at the time of the trials, and Morgan says he can still be a bit stubborn.
Paige Johnson
She caught the attention of onlookers at the Agility Invitational not just because she’s a junior: Morgan also runs the course barefoot.
Morgan says it’s something she’s always done, since starting to trail in agility. Her mom used to run in cleats, rather than sneakers, so the alternative strategy might come from that.
“It’s just easier to get tight turns because I can move my foot more easily, and it’s more comfortable,” Paige explains. “We’re from Florida, so it’s super hot all the time. The grass is usually wet in the morning, and you can slip in tennis shoes, so it just became a habit to run barefoot.”
“Morgan’s a child, so any given moment she’ll be seen barefoot,” Paige laughs. “You’ll be like, ‘where are your shoes?'”
Aside from running her own Border Collie in the agility ring, she’s also handled other dogs for their owners. She was given the opportunity to run another dog at an agility trial, a Pomeranian named “Willow.” She had met Willow just one day before the event, and they practiced a bit together before going into the ring.
“She was pretty good, and she listened to me,” Morgan recalls. They had three trials to do together, and during the first one, Willow sat in front of the jump, and ran out of the ring to her owner. The second trial was a bit better, with Willow getting through half the course before running out again. One the third try, they completed the course together.
“The owner had asked Morgan if she wanted to pull from the rest of the competition,” Paige says. “But the last run, Morgan was like ‘no, I want to try, I don’t want to give up now.'” And she did it: Paige remembers her excitement, running out of the ring yelling “I did it! I finished the course!”
Before Morgan was even born, she was attending agility trials with her mom. Long-time competitors that know Paige even recognize her from time to time. It’s been a fantastic way for mother and daughter to bond, form goals, and work together. Paige and Morgan try to go to agility trials at least once a quarter.
“I’m a single mom, I don’t have a lot of money, so we don’t trial super often, but we love it,” Paige says. Aside from doing agility and Agility League together, Morgan has also been showing the family’s rabbits about once a month. Morgan says aside from their five dogs and rabbits, they also have guinea pigs, chickens, and ducks.
Morgan’s mom is her biggest inspiration when it comes to her dog sport aspirations. “My mom always did agility and I liked practicing with her,” Morgan says. “I thought it was really fun.”
Paige Johnson
She may still be young, but she has a lot of goals with her dog Valerian already. “I wanted to do dock diving with him, but he hates water,” Morgan says. “I want to do 4H with him, agility, and AKC Junior Showmanship.”
As for those goals, she isn’t thinking small. “There haven’t been any Russian Toys with disc dog or dock diving titles,” Paige says. “She wants to be the first one.”
The post Morgan Johnson Is Among the Agility Invitational’s Youngest Competitors appeared first on American Kennel Club.
Read more...
In 2023, Morgan was the youngest competitor at the 19th annual AKC Agility Invitational. Her mom found out in 2022 that any child with a Junior Handler number could participate – they didn’t have to be nine years old. In 2024, she was among a small group of the youngest competitors, which is no small feat on such a major competition. She said she was “a bit nervous, but mostly excited” about competing.
Following in the Family’s Footsteps
Her mom, Paige, used to compete for many years at the invitational with her Beauceron, and as a single mom, this meant that Morgan got to come along. “She grew up going with me to this super special big dog show, and had always aspired to compete there,” Paige says. Aside from competing, they volunteered at the event whenever they could since they’re local in Orlando.
Paige Johnson
Paige has always been into dog sports, including agility and obedience. Her grandmother was an AKC obedience judge, and this influence meant she grew up training dogs and doing obedience with the Orlando Dog Training Club. Her first agility trial was in 1998 when she was 13 years old. When Morgan was born, she didn’t stop going to trials – instead, she brought Morgan along, often carrying her on her shoulders while she walked the courses before her runs. Little did she know, this would inspire her daughter to follow in her footsteps.
Though her Beauceron has since passed away, Paige and Morgan are still competing with their other dogs whenever they can. They have several dogs they are actively competing with, including four Border Collies that were part of their AKC Agility League team. Morgan ran one, “Anka,” and will be running with an additional dog this year for Agility League. This year at the Agility Invitational, Paige didn’t compete: the spotlight was just on Morgan.
Walking Her Own Path – Barefoot
Morgan didn’t just spend her weekend in the agility ring. “While I was there, I did Rally and Obedience,” Morgan says. “I was also in the breed ring with my Russian Toy puppy, ‘Valerian.'” She said it was a bit scary showing her dog on such a big stage. Valerian was only eight months old at the time of the trials, and Morgan says he can still be a bit stubborn.
Paige Johnson
She caught the attention of onlookers at the Agility Invitational not just because she’s a junior: Morgan also runs the course barefoot.
Morgan says it’s something she’s always done, since starting to trail in agility. Her mom used to run in cleats, rather than sneakers, so the alternative strategy might come from that.
“It’s just easier to get tight turns because I can move my foot more easily, and it’s more comfortable,” Paige explains. “We’re from Florida, so it’s super hot all the time. The grass is usually wet in the morning, and you can slip in tennis shoes, so it just became a habit to run barefoot.”
“Morgan’s a child, so any given moment she’ll be seen barefoot,” Paige laughs. “You’ll be like, ‘where are your shoes?'”
Third Time’s a Charm
Aside from running her own Border Collie in the agility ring, she’s also handled other dogs for their owners. She was given the opportunity to run another dog at an agility trial, a Pomeranian named “Willow.” She had met Willow just one day before the event, and they practiced a bit together before going into the ring.
“She was pretty good, and she listened to me,” Morgan recalls. They had three trials to do together, and during the first one, Willow sat in front of the jump, and ran out of the ring to her owner. The second trial was a bit better, with Willow getting through half the course before running out again. One the third try, they completed the course together.
“The owner had asked Morgan if she wanted to pull from the rest of the competition,” Paige says. “But the last run, Morgan was like ‘no, I want to try, I don’t want to give up now.'” And she did it: Paige remembers her excitement, running out of the ring yelling “I did it! I finished the course!”
Like Mother, Like Daughter
Before Morgan was even born, she was attending agility trials with her mom. Long-time competitors that know Paige even recognize her from time to time. It’s been a fantastic way for mother and daughter to bond, form goals, and work together. Paige and Morgan try to go to agility trials at least once a quarter.
“I’m a single mom, I don’t have a lot of money, so we don’t trial super often, but we love it,” Paige says. Aside from doing agility and Agility League together, Morgan has also been showing the family’s rabbits about once a month. Morgan says aside from their five dogs and rabbits, they also have guinea pigs, chickens, and ducks.
Morgan’s mom is her biggest inspiration when it comes to her dog sport aspirations. “My mom always did agility and I liked practicing with her,” Morgan says. “I thought it was really fun.”
Paige Johnson
She may still be young, but she has a lot of goals with her dog Valerian already. “I wanted to do dock diving with him, but he hates water,” Morgan says. “I want to do 4H with him, agility, and AKC Junior Showmanship.”
As for those goals, she isn’t thinking small. “There haven’t been any Russian Toys with disc dog or dock diving titles,” Paige says. “She wants to be the first one.”
The post Morgan Johnson Is Among the Agility Invitational’s Youngest Competitors appeared first on American Kennel Club.
Read more...
