Deborah Funk
Agility Judge
Debby got involved in dog sports many years ago with the first dog she owned as an adult. She started out in obedience but once agility was invented, she was bit by that bug permanently. She began showing and eventually judging in a local Colorado brand of agility known as AAAI. She also sampled various other venues. When AKC agility became prominent in the state, Debby jumped in with enthusiasm. She started judging AKC agility about nine years ago and has enjoyed every minute of it.
Would you believe Debby's first dog was a Bearded Collie?! OK, not really. Percy was a Yorkshire Terrier with floppy ears and shaggy hair. But his favorite Auntie owned a Beardie so Percy and Debby hung out with the Beardie crowd a lot. Percy became known as the "pocket sized Beardie" and loved all the attention. Meantime, Debby came to know Beardies as a very energetic and affectionate breed. Amazingly athletic, they range from phenominal agility dogs to absolute clowns, usually all wrapped up in the same dog. So Debby is feeling highly honored to be asked to judge the agility portion of this year's Beardie specialty.