The Cariboo Agility Team has had to cancel its annual dog agility trial for the second year in a row due to wildfire smoke.
The trial was supposed to be held at the baseball diamonds in 100 Mile House Aug. 25 and 26.
Roxanne Ziefflie, the team’s president, said the event will not be rescheduled for 2018.
“It’s really hard to reschedule it because there’s other events in other towns that are going on over the next few weekends, so for us to reschedule it would have to be near the end of September.”
To hold an outdoor trial in September, she said, would be “kind of iffy.”
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The team may have gone ahead with the trial if last weekend’s air quality rating reports looked more moderate, but with Kamloops forecasted at a nine and Williams Lake at an eight (both high on the health risk spectrum) Ziefflie said there was no way.
“That’s too high for people to be running in, and that’s what we’re expecting our dogs to do, right, is to run … and the judge would have to stand in that all day long.”
When asked how people responded to another cancellation, she said they were “obviously disappointed” but generally understanding because everyone in the province is currently dealing with smoke.
“It’s doubly disappointing for us this year,” after having missed out on last year as well, she said. “Having to cancel again this year was a bit of a double whammy for us.”
Dog agility trials are held year-round throughout the province. For members of the Agility Association of Canada willing to travel to warmer parts of B.C. or those with indoor facilities, they still have a chance to test their dog’s agility this year.
beth.audet@100milefreepress.net
