About The Dogwood Pacesetters

Dogwood Pacesetters Club Picnic 2002

Dogwood Pacesetters Canine Sports Club is dedicated to promoting canine sports in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. We are affiliated with the Agility Association of Canada and the North American Dog Agility Council.

The Dogwood Pacesetters Canine Sports Club has been the central promoter of canine sports in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia since its formation in 1986. Our principles have always been: companionship, competition, and community.

Dogwood Pacesetters members come from every facet of society and from every part of the Lower Mainland. They range in personality from the most avid competitor to the recreational dog enthusiast. Our members travel to all parts of Canada and the United States to represent our club in various competitions.

Objectives:

• To promote responsible dog ownership and enjoyment of dog ownership

• To promote canine sports, especially Dog Agility and Canine Drill Team

• To continue to support charitable organizations

Activities:

• Host yearly agility trials (competition)

• Provide an opportunity for people in our community to learn the foundations of agility. For agility class information click here

• fun matches open to the general public

• We participate in community parades and events such as Langley Canada Days, Hoof and Woof competitions, and the Christmas Pet Fair. (for more information on these activities please email the DWP Secretary)

• agility and drill team demonstrations

• club picnics, dinner, and dancing

Guidelines for Membership

The goal of the Dogwood Pacesetters is to promote Agility and Drill Team, and ultimately the bond between human and dog that can grow through the training of various dog sports.  Of course all of this is done within the spirit of friendly competition. And while we have a lot of fun with our dogs pursuing that goal, a certain level of commitment is required from our Membership (after all, that equipment doesn't put itself out on the floor)! With this in mind, if you think you'd like to consider joining us here's a list of what we ask of our members.

1. That you pay a yearly membership fee of  $15 for a single, $25 for a family.

2. That you help out at various activities and help to arrange the arenas to help set up equipment, or/and stay to help take down (and if you can stay for both, many doggy blessings upon you)!  We do realize, of course, that other commitments sometimes get in the way, but we do need as many "hands on deck" as possible to keep the individual workload reasonable

3. That you come out in support of our trials, agility classes and public demons (this is the really fun bit, where you get to show off your dog!) to help in an organizational capacity, whether you enter your dog or not.

4. That, as you gain experience training your dog for Agility you be willing to help new people learn to train their dogs, just as our current members are helping you.

5. That you agree to abide by The Rules of Conduct, By-Laws, and Constitution of the Dogwood Pacesetters, and help others to do so, should they seem uninformed or confused.

If you have any questions, ask to speak to a member of our Executive. They'll be happy to tell you anything you'd like to know about the Dogwood Pacesetters.

Supporting our community

We realize that promoting responsible ownership of dogs involves supporting the community we live in. The Pacesetters have a long tradition of raising funds to support worthwhile causes in our community. We have given generous donations to support organizations such as:

The Pacific Assistance Dog Society (PADS), a non-profit organization that raises and trains dogs for people with disabilities to provide them with a greater level of independence and an enhanced quality of life. Visit them at www.padsdogs.org .