Since she was a child, An Wauters always dreamt of training her dog to do AGILITY, a discipline that consists in directing your dog through an obstacle course as quickly as possible to prove the dog’s intelligence and agility. But when she started using a wheelchair, An gave up on the idea because it was very difficult physically.
Twenty years later, her dream has come true with the help of her BATED HYBRID handbike. Thanks to her Batec, she is more independent and can train her dog from her wheelchair.
- An’s story
- A dream come true, twenty years later
- Training in a wheelchair with her BATEC HYBRID
- 2019 Rialp Summer Agility Championship
Photo by Annette Ghyselinck
When she was 16, An happened upon an AGILITY training session and was fascinated by how the owner and the dog worked together to get through the obstacle course. She wanted to try it right away with her dog, but because of her hip dysplasia, it wasn’t right for her. When, at age 22, she started using a wheelchair and lost her dog, she gave up on the idea of taking part in this sport definitively.
Years later, she met photographer Lieven Ruysschaert, who convinced her that a Border Collie could be the perfect breed for them to train together. That is how Grayling, a blue merle female, came into their lives and helped them get started. But An was once again disheartened when she saw it was quite difficult to train in her wheelchair. She couldn’t keep up with her dog or give her instructions in time. “The most we could do was go for walks together, and we did, enjoying each other’s company and taking care of each other.”
An with Greyling and Pasha, her lovely Border Collies
A dream come true, twenty years later
In 2016, An discovered the Batec handbikes. When she saw how the BATEC HYBRID radically increased her independence, An began to dream again: “What would happen if I had a young dog?” Grayling was almost 10 years old and had a prosthesis on her hind leg. They couldn’t do AGILITY together.
The excitement that came from seeing that she could train, after so many years, was what brought Pasha, a border collie puppy, or as An likes to call her “the second apple of my eye”, into the family. Her twenty-year-old dream was starting to come true.
Training in a wheelchair with her BATEC HYBRID
They found training spaces at the LADO Indoor Dog Sports Centre (Belgium) and the Bonheiden Hondenvrienden (Belgium). In no time, they started to see good results and even participate in competitions.
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What is AGILITY? AGILITY is a discipline open to all breeds of dogs. They have to go through a fun obstacle course as quickly as possible. This tests their intelligence and agility, while fostering closer ties between dog and handler. To participate in AGILITY competitions, dogs must have behaviour and obedience training, then pass tests to get their Social Behaviour Certificate and TAP (Admission to the Agility Programme).
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An and Pasha during the TAP exam:
TAP Agility (1/2) from An Wauters on Vimeo.
2019 Rialp Summer Agility Competition
An and Pasha took part in the 2019 Rialp Summer Agility championship, held annually in Lleida (Catalonia). In addition to competing, An and other participants and trainers from around the world shared their experiences. She is already preparing for next year’s competition, as well as practising her Spanish.
You can follow An and Pasha’s progress on her website.
An with Pasha, posing at the Rialp Summer Agility 2019 Competition.