Trevor Phipps
Photo and video courtesy of Kaitlyn and John Dill
As anyone who has lived in the Colorado high country knows this fact quite well: Teller County is Dog Country.
In fact, in 2024 Colorado was ranked as the most pet-friendly state in the country, and in 2023 the state was picked number one for the most devoted dog owners. This pro-dog trend prevails in Teller County with many residents enjoying company from canine companions. And from a competitive standpoint, this standard has escalated even more, with some local residents faring quite well in national canine-related events and unique challenges.
Recently, Teller County resident Kaitlyn Dill became the latest dog-related competitor to join this elite club. Moreover, she helped put the county on the map as an undisputed canine haven with her presence at an international dog agility skills competition.
Kaitlyn (who is a junior at Merit Academy in Woodland Park), with the help of her canine companion Adios, were recently selected to represent the 2025 AKC Junior World Agility Team USA and compete in the Junior Open Agility World Championship (JOAWC). The international competition, which takes place in Abrantes, Portugal from July 9 to July 13, is the equivalent to the junior Olympics in this sport.
Dog agility is a sport in which a handler directs their dog through a pre-set obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy, with the dog running off-leash and the handler unable to touch the dog or obstacles.
Dill and Adios became a team in December 2022, initially focusing on local events in Colorado. They work with agility trainer Kathleen Oswald who has prepared Kaitlyn and Adios to compete at this junior world championship as well as other national events across the country.
Dill found her passion for the sport back in 2020 when a German Shepard puppy was added to their family. They quickly realized the canine needed obedience training and once they were finished they learned about agility training.
Dill and her German Shepard completed some agility training exercises, and she learned that the German Shepard didn’t really like doing it. Bu, Dill found that she loved it. Through her trainer they were able to connect her with Adios (a two-year-old Shetland) who found a passion for the sport as well.
“Agilities is a really fun sport,” Dill said. “It’s very fast-paced. It’s a time-based event, where we do the obstacle course and depending on who completes all the obstacles fastest wins. But, if the dog does not complete an obstacle correctly, then you can get eliminated. So, it goes by whoever has the most clean run and then it goes by time.”
The agilities course tests several skills of the dog and trainer with a variety of obstacles. The dog must manage tasks such as puppy teeter-totter, hoops and jumps.
Dill and Adios started competing locally at first. But after receiving much success, they travelled across the country at various competitions. They then decided to try out to become one of 24 teams to compete on the Junior World Agility Team USA.
A Great Way to Connect with Your Canine
According to Dill, the agilities training she did with Adios all starts with getting strong obedience training first. “You can’t do agility without any sort of obedience because your dog needs to have a nice, solid recall, good listening ears and a really good ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ for you to be able to walk out into the court a little bit before you can release them,” Kaitlyn explained.
Overall, the expert dog handler said that completing the training and competing with Adios has helped her gain a better relationship with her canine friend. “Our connection wouldn’t be anywhere as close as it would be if we hadn’t done agility,” Dill said. “I mean I know him inside and out. If he was just a pet dog, we wouldn’t have that same connection of, ‘Oh I know exactly what you are going to do at this second.’ There’s a difference between just going for a walk together and now we are going to compete together. And he loves it just as much as I do.”
Dill said that those interested in pursuing the sport need to start with a strong base of obedience training. Then, they can go to other training centers and try agility. Dill cautioned would-be dog agility participants that competing won’t happen overnight, noting that this sport takes extensive training.
When she and Adios are not competing, she spends time with her studies and competing in cross country. When he is not jumping hurdles and racing over obstacles, the four-year-old Adios loves playing frisbee and doing nose work. The duo also enjoys exploring the beautiful mountains of Colorado by hiking and going on kayaking adventures together.
Dill said that she plans on competing in the sport in the future. She may consider becoming an agilities trainer in the future but now she is more focused on competing as a sport than making it a career.
