Conversations with Heather Venkat

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Venkat.

Hi Heather, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My 9-year-old dog Luna, a Border Collie/Australian cattle dog mix, was adopted at two years old right after I moved to Arizona. She was picked up by Animal Control as a pregnant stray in Douglas, AZ, right on the southern border. A local rescue pulled her from Animal Control, let her have her puppies, then got her spayed. I saw her photo on Petfinder and fell in love with her sweet face and personality. After adopting Luna, I got her certified as a therapy dog and we visited assisted living facilities together. I received approval to bring Luna to work with me at the Health Department once a month starting in 2016, and everyone loved her. It was then that one of my co-workers asked if I wanted to take agility classes together with her dog. I agreed and we began taking classes together in early Fall 2017. Luna and I began competing in USDAA trials in June 2018, and we have never looked back!

I remember watching the Cynosport World Dog Agility Championships live in Scottsdale in 2018, dreaming that one day we could be good enough to qualify, especially since Luna was getting a “late start” in agility as a 5-year-old. I’m happy to say that we competed in our first Cynosports in 2021 in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and I’m looking forward to participating this year with both of my dogs! I got a pandemic puppy named Lyla, a now 2-year-old Border Collie/Papillon cross who is exceeding all expectations; she absolutely loves doing agility and has also qualified for Cynosport this year.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

It has not always been a smooth road in agility. With Luna being my first agility dog, I had a lot to teach her and a lot to learn myself. I had to improve my own handling skills and struggled at first. Luna was amazing while dealing with my shortcomings.

For a couple years, we also struggled with weave pole issues (an obstacle on the agility course.) Luna would have perfect runs, but we wouldn’t qualify because her only fault would be missing a weave entry or popping out too early. Her weaves were perfect in practice. But then I realized that qualifying wasn’t the only goal and I needed to not worry about the weaves and just have fun. I had to discover that part of the joy of agility was being able to have something to work on and progress – no one is perfect right away! Luna’s weaves are solid now, but it did discourage me for a while. It is the reality of the sport, that agility isn’t easy, but it’s absolutely worth it in the end because you get to bond and play with your dog… what could be better than that?!

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Professionally I have been Arizona’s State Public Health Veterinarian for four years tracking and investigating diseases like rabies and plague, while still providing preventive veterinary care to dogs and cats with a mobile veterinary clinic called VIP Petcare. I love the variety that I get from my job (each week is a new adventure) and being able to help both pets and people.

In my free time I love practicing and competing with my dogs in agility and I hope everyone will come out to WestWorld to see the agility championships called Cynosport World Games, where I will be competing Nov. 30 to Dec. 4! Saturday and Sunday will be Veterinary Appreciation Days and there is no admission charged!

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
What were you like growing up?

I was a very active and curious kid growing up. I loved playing outside and being involved in sports. I did well in school and was also a bookworm and played videogames at home, but I was never far away from the animal realm. I grew up with several cats, dogs, and pocket pets, yet would always rescue and take care of sick or injured animals like baby birds, a one-eyed squirrel, and even a bumblebee that couldn’t fly. I grew up knowing I wanted to be a veterinarian and my school path led me there. I graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2013 and began practicing at a small animal clinic. After a couple years I transitioned to public health, becoming Arizona’s State Public Health Veterinarian while continuing clinical practice during weekends at a mobile vaccine clinic and relief work doing spay/neuter.

Contact information:
Cynosport Dog Agility World Games will be held at Westworld in Scottsdale from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4.

For more details, visit http://www.cynosport.com/menu-button/spectator-information/. Admission is free, but there may be a parking charge by the venue. To learn more about agility or to get involved in the sport, visit United States Dog Agility Assn. Online at usdaa.com, on Facebook, or email news@usdaa.com.

Image Credits
Great Dane Photos, Denise Titzer, and Sujay Venkat (labeled in file names).