Rudy The Toy Manchester Terrier: Fastest In The State, 5th In The Country

On a typical day, Rudy is like any other dog, relaxing and spending time with his owners, but there is something extra special about this dog.

“He’s four years old but we’ve had him for three and a half years,” said Karen Hugo, Rudy’s owner.

Dee and Karen Hugo purchased Rudy the toy Manchester Terrier with one stipulation from the breeder.

“One of the things when we bought him, we had to sign a contract and agree to put him in competitions of some sort,” said Dee Hugo.

That agreement led to the legacy of Rudy the Runner. Today, he’s natural, but that wasn’t always the case.

“The first run he had, he goes halfway down the track, stops, looks at the lure operator, kind of moseys on down to the end,” said Dee.

But with some work, Rudy is now the fastest Toy Manchester Terrier in the state and the fifth fastest in the country.

“But he posted some good times last week, so, with that he would be in third place this year but that changes from week to week,” said Dee.

These K9 athletes give everything they have into the one-hundred-yard track, to be the best in their breed.

“It’s a great way to have fun with your pet, expelling some energy, because when we go home at the day, they sleep,” said Kelly Rosson, owner of Queen Georgia Grace, the third fastest bulldog in the nation.

To assure maximum performance, there’s even a licensed chiropractor on hand.

“Anywhere we find some restrictions or subluxations we clear it out so the dogs can run at full speed,” said dog chiropractor, Roger Divis.

All of this, plus the commitment to proper training.

“He usually runs once or twice a day just to keep in shape. He’s fast, super-fast for a toy Manchester,” said Dee.

Rudy will be running at the big dog show at the state fairgrounds, June 26 -30. Dogs do not have to be purebred to participate in the Fast CAT competitions, for information on getting started visit www.akc.org  and get a K9 partner registration number.