With the European Open Agility Championships being held next weekend (27th – 29th July 2018) we thought we would interview one of Team GB who also happens to be the K9 Trail Time agility trainer too!
Tell our followers a little bit about what you do, how you got into it, how long you have been doing it and your experience / or qualifications?
My name is Laura Hope and I am a qualified paediatric nurse which I’ve practiced for about 13 years. I had my daughter in 2015 and last year decided to take a break from the shift work to be with my daughter. I have been doing Competitive Agility for around 10 years and started my own training business – Clever Little Dog Agility Training up on Cleeve hill in Cheltenham last August. I started Agility with my American Bulldog who qualified us two years in a row to compete at Discover Dogs. I now have x3 beautiful collies. Jade Grade 7 and on Team GB, Rambo Grade 5 and Bonders who is learning the game 
. I love the game, it’s so much fun learning and developing with my dogs. Always things to learn and every dog teaches you something new. Great fun.
What does a day in the life of you consist of?
A day in the life of me consists of being woken up by my daughter any time from 0530 
. Feed the dogs breakfast around 0630 and get ready for the day. Take grace to nursery and go up to Cleeve. Where I work / spend time with my dogs before I pick grace up at 1300. I do a 4 mile round trip run over Cleeve with the dogs most days – exhausting 
and then either do a bit of training or just chill out with them. It’s lovely just spending time with them in the countryside. I train my clients and then go and get my daughter. The afternoon consists of childish things and then we walk the dogs in the evening. Often I then return to the field to teach some more and then I return home around 2100, to repeat it all again the next day. When I write it down I’m able to reflect on how lucky I am.
Share with us your proudest moment so far
My proudest moment so far, apart from raising my beautiful daughter has to be making Team GB with Jade and being picked for the Team to go to Vienna. Still can’t quite believe it.
What are your top 3 tips connected with what you do for our followers and their active dogs?
1) have fun with your dogs
2) be consistent and
3) have some more fun
What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the future are to just continue, keep trying to build my business, keep having fun with my dogs and keep striving to be better for my dogs.
How can our followers get in touch with you?
You can get in touch with me via phone – 07961 796905
Or contact me via FB – Clever Little Dog Agility Training
We’d like to wish Laura the best of luck with all her competing and go Team GB!
The full team competing next weekend can be found here:
https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/activities/agility/international-agility-teams/european-open-agility-championships/