Island teenager training her dog for international agility competition

A Vancouver Island teenager is getting ready for international competition after being accepted to Canada's National Agility Team.

Kenzie Bailey and her collie Luna will be headed to Holland at the end of May, although she's not sure what her dog's chances are.

"She's never travelled anywhere off the island for a completion, so I'm expecting her to run around the ring like a maniac, so anything that's better than that, then that's great," Bailey says.

Dan Steel – who owns Agility Unleashed in Qualicum Beach and is helping Bailey prepare – has more confidence in the team.

"She is actually phenomenal,” Steel says. “She is an awesome trainer, so we've got to get her confidence up a little bit, we're going to get her stamina up a little bit, her training schedule we're going to increase a little bit. This is going to be an incredible opportunity for her. I'm pretty excited for her."

He says he's confident her efforts will help lead others into the sport.

"She's going to be 15, she's going to be on a world team, representing Canada. This is incredible. So other people, hopefully younger people, will find that exciting and something they'd like to do too," he says.

Bailey is excited about meeting the other members of her new team.

"There's people from Ontario and there's another girl my age on the team, which is nice. She has a smaller dog. My dog is jumping 24 inches at the competition and her dog is jumping 16," Bailey says.

Steel, who has been to international competitions himself, says Bailey will help raise awareness for the sport of canine agility.

"The sport really needs to see younger people,” he says. “Without young people, the sport doesn't grow, so this is an opportunity for her to showcase her stuff. Not only that, but maybe to give other people something to look for."

Bailey is hoping locals on the mid-island will be able to help her raise funds for herself and other team members by donating items for auction.