An 8 1/2-year-old black-and-white smooth-coat female Border Collie named “Vanish” (NAC ISCH MACH Without A Trace MXB MJB) zipped to the front of the competition to win the 12th Annual Westminster Masters Agility Championship Presented by Purina Pro Plan.
Handled by her owner, Emily Klarman, of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Vanish outperformed 300 dogs with the fastest clean run of 26.49 seconds. The quick-moving Border Collie won from the 16-Inch height division.
The Westminster Masters Agility Championship was held Feb. 8 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Paul Moore, of Welford Northants, England, judged the 8-, 12- and 16-Inch Divisions, and Michele Fletcher, of Pikeville, Tennessee, judged the 20- and 24-Inch Divisions.
The championship had two rounds of competition, a Standard agility course and a Jumpers with Weaves course. Fifty dogs with the highest-combined scores advanced to the Championship round.
“Vanish and I perform well under pressure,” said Klarman, who has competed in agility for 20 years and started in the sport when she was 12 years old. “Our connection makes it easier to do my job.”
Among her career wins, Vanish was the 16-Inch Division winner at the AKC National Agility Championship in 2023 and was the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge Finals Large Dog Agility winner in 2022. She was a member of two world agility teams in 2024: She was part of the AKC team that competed at the World Agility Championship and took gold in the Team Agility Standard event, and she was on the AKC European Open team.
Vanish, the fourth dog Klarman has trained in agility, is fed Pro Plan All-Life Stages SPORT Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice Formula.
The highest-scoring All-American Dog is a 6 1/2-year-old male named “Gable” (PACH Triple F RE MXPB MJP7 MJPS PAX2 MFP T2BP2 CGC TKA), handled by his owner, Kayla Feeney, of Lima, New York. Gable, who runs 16-Inch Preferred, finished the final round in 48.89 seconds to become the Top All-American Dog among 21 competitors.
Feeney, who started in competition agility in 2020, said Gable is the first dog she has trained in the sport. He placed second in his height class at the AKC Northeast Agility Championship in 2024 in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Gable is fed Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice Formula.
Purina Pro Plan is the food fed to four of the six agility winners. Besides Vanish, the 2025 Masters Agility Champion, and Gable, the Highest-Scoring All-American Dog, the height division winners are:
- 8-Inch Division: “Gabby” (NAC GCH MACH7 PACH StarStruck Oh My Word! MXC2 PAD MJB3 PJD PAX OF), a 9-year-old hound tricolor female Papillon handled by owner Andrea Samuels, of Cape Coral, Florida, had a run of 30.05 seconds. A repeat winner, Gabby also won the 8-Inch Division at the Westminster Masters Agility Championship in 2019. She is a two-time AKC National Agility Championship winner in the 8-Inch Division, having won in 2019 and 2023, and she won the AKC Premier Cup in the 8-inch Division in 2024. Gabby is fed a variety of Pro Plan All-Life Stages SPORT Performance 30/20 Formulas.
- 12-Inch Division: “Swindle” (MACH3 Trinity Run Like You Stole It MXC PAD MJC PJD OF CGC TKN), a 9-year-old female Shetland Sheepdog handled by owner Abigail Beasley, of Centerburg, Ohio, had a run of 26.91 seconds.
- 20-Inch Division: “Shelby Cobra” (MACH5 Darkside Drive It Like Ewe Stole It RI MXB2 PAD MJB2 DJ), a 6 ½-year-old black-and-white female Border Collie handled by breeder Amber McCune, of Bedford, New Hampshire, the co-owner with Joyce TenHaagen, of Newington, New Hampshire, won with a run of 27.57 seconds. Shelby Cobra had the second-fastest run among all dogs at the Westminster Masters Agility Champion in 2023. She is fueled by Pro Plan All-Life Stages SPORT Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice Formula.
- 24-Inch Division: “Sterling” (NAC CH MACH14 Trax Atomic Number Forty Seven MXS2 MJS2 T2B SWD SWE SCM SIM SEM SHDN TKN), a 7-year-old Weimaraner handled by owner Lori Barbee, of Huntington Beach, California, won with a run of 34.67 seconds. Sterling was the 24-Inch Division winner at the 2024 AKC National Agility Championship.
Congratulations to the winners!
