Tucked down a winding road in a Layton neighborhood is Versa Dog Sports. Dogs quietly ran mazes while trainers barked orders on a hot September day. Inside the air-conditioned three-ring arena, Tracy Mazur of Draper drilled with her 3-year-old working cocker spaniel named Quill.
She's teaching him to run agility courses — weaving and jumping through obstacles and tunnels as Mazur runs alongside. It's in her blood, so to speak.
"My parents were dog trainers, and so I've been training since probably about the time I could walk," she said. "There's photos of me at two and three with dogs, leading them around."
She got into agility training after college and became a certified American Kennel Club judge in 2015. But still, she didn't expect a phone call asking her to judge at the biggest event in the known dog universe: the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City.
"I was glad that it went to voicemail, and I didn't have time to answer it because I really, I wasn't sure what to say at first. I mean, I was very honored, and I was, 'Are you sure you want me? You sure you wanted to call me?' But I did; I called them back, and I said, 'OK, yes, I want to do it.'"
She'll be judging the Masters Agility Championship portion of the event, and she'll be designing the course too.
"I consider it as if I were a music composer, and this is my piece that I'm putting out for people to play. Just how beautiful the two work together in navigating through this course that I've designed," Mazur said.
The Layton course she ran Quill through was designed by another trainer for young dogs who are still learning the routine.
"They will usually pick a certain skill every week to work on," Mazur said. "So this week, it's like the tunnel is under that dog walk, and it's a distance. It's a layering challenge where we have to stay on this side of the dog walk and send our dog."
Quill landed hard after an airborne maneuver and needed to rest for the day. He watched patiently from his nearby crate as handlers put other dogs through their paces.
That includes 3-year-old Atari, a boisterous black-and-gold Dutch Shepherd with piercing eyes. Part of agility training is helping the dog learn focus. Danielle LaGrave, a former judge and Atari's trainer, spotted an accidental distraction that joined the day's proceedings.
"The cat is sitting right there. Work through it, buddy. Come on," she coaxed. "Ultimate distraction for him. Come here, buddy."
Three cats live in outbuildings at the training center and occasionally add interference.
Mazur gave LaGrave full marks for how the kitty encounter was handled.
"With positive reinforcement, she made the sequence easier, and he's going to get a lot of reward for staying with her and working there, ignoring the kitty."
It's not the only humorous moment Mazur has encountered.
"One of the funniest ones that I always like is the handlers running the course, and they go the wrong way, but the dog actually keeps going the right way, and then they kind of stop and they look around for their dog, and their dog's doing the right thing," Mazur laughed.
Then there's the attire that goes with dog competitions. Not unlike the blockbuster mockumentary "Best in Show," which the Westminster Kennel Club freely admits was based on their dog show, some people coordinate outfits to match their canines.
"Sometimes you'll see people that they're dressed in the same colors, like, you know, they're wearing an outfit and their dog has the same harness kind of color combination. Sometimes you see that with hairdos too."
There's also truth to the storyline about finicky dogs and the trainers who cater to them.
"Each dog has individual needs. Some like toys, some like food. Maybe some are really sensitive," Mazur said.
Lighter moments aside, Mazur knows a daunting job judging the world's biggest dog agility event awaits her in January.
"I want to make sure my course is good, and I want it to be fun for people to run, and I want to make sure that everybody there is having a good time. So yes, I'm excited, but very nervous as well."
A couple of days after the 2027 Master Agility Championship is under her belt, Mazur will be at New York's Madison Square Garden watching the crowning of Best in Show. It's often a packed house that smells like a dog kennel, with some attendees dressed in black tie. Mazur's going glam, even if it isn't her usual style.
"I don't really own dresses, but I did go buy a gown to watch Best in Show. So at least I can fit in that way."
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona, as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
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