Judges 🏁

Sandi Maday

I started to compete in AAC agility in 2003 and have earned ATChC’s and many other agility titles with my dogs, as well as attending numerous AAC Regionals and Nationals events.

I became an AAC judge in 2015, and have had the pleasure of meeting even more wonderful people and their dogs! After over 10 years of judging, I have enjoyed witnessing the progression of many dog and handler teams in my own region, as well as other parts of the country. The best part is when I get to stand centre stage for a run, where a dog and handler team truly connect. Sometimes those runs are just mastering a piece of a run or actually a qualifying run, and sometimes they provide a long sought after title for dog and handler. At other times they provide a special podium placement! No matter what the celebration, I enjoy the rush I feel when I get to witness those runs from centre stage, and the joy I feel for the dog and handler as they celebrate!

I currently have 3 American Cocker Spaniels, Dodger (13), Gabbi (12) and Lottie (2) Dodger and Gabbi are both retired from agility, but we are having some fun with Nosework training. Lottie and I are working on our agility training with the hopes of doing some trialing in 2027.

Over the years, my dogs and I have competed in agility with AAC, CKC, AKC, UKI and NADAC. We have also participated in scent hurdle racing, flyball, trick training, rally, and are now learning the sport of Nosework.

I am honoured to be asked to judge again for the 2027 BC/VI/YK AAC Regional Championship. I always enjoy coming back to BC to see so many wonderful competitors and friends. Best of luck to everyone competing, and I hope you truly enjoy the journey with your canine partner(s).

Sandi Maday

Christine Mandy

I am honoured to be invited back to judge the 2027 BC/VI/Yukon Regionals hosted by Leaps ‘N Bounds Agility and friends at the spectacular tbird in Langley. I am also thrilled to be judging alongside such a PAWSome group of judges that I respect and admire.

I began my judging journey in 2010 and it has taken me from coast to coast. I have had the privilege of going places and making lifelong friends thanks to the sport we all enjoy and as a result of the dogs we are all proud of and love.

To add to my AAC resume, I have been the AAC VP from April 2018 to December 2022 and January 2025 to present. If you have never served on an AAC committee or the AAC BoD, I encourage you to consider doing so.
My breed of choice is Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. I often get asked why. What a silly question… Who wouldn’t want a Chessie! I am extremely proud to say that 5 of the top 15 Chessies that have competed, or are competing, in the AAC all hold a special place in my heart. Worthy is my current CBR and teammate. I also share my heart and home with my two beloved All Canadians, Fayth and Zoom, and Jiminy Cricket, the Orange Tabby, and our self-proclaimed CEO.

If you are ever in Eastern Ontario, I’d like to invite you to trial at my club, The Agility Connection (TAC). TAC has been hosting AAC trials since 2006 in addition to being the host club for the 2023 and 2024 AAC Nationals.
I look forward to sharing your 2027 Regionals experience with you… there is going to be fun to be had both on and off the fields and I assure you that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“Run the course like each one is your last.
Make it a run that leaves you smiling, if not laughing aloud for the joy of the sport.

Otherwise, you will have missed the most important thing in agility,
the love and companionship of a trusted, loyal, and loving canine partner.” ~ Kathleen Highfill

Joanie Leclair

Wendy Beard

I live in Carp, Ontario with my husband, Paul, and our Belgian Shepherds Thalys, Freyja, Helli, Tycho and Zak
I have been involved in agility for over 25 years, since discovering the sport when I lived in the Netherlands. I moved to Canada for work in 2001.

In my spare time (who am I kidding, I don’t have any spare time) I like to take photos and kayak. Sometimes both at the same time.

I have been an AAC judge since 2008, becoming a Masters judge in 2010. I also judge for CKC and UKI at the same level. I actively compete in AAC, CKC, UKI and AKC agility. I have served on the Board of Directors for the AAC and on numerous committees for the AAC as well as being On Course editor for 9 years. I was part of the organizing committee for the AAC National Championships in 2023 and 2024 and for the Ontario Regional Championships in 2025, so I appreciate how much work it is to put on an event of this size. Kudos to everyone involved in the running of the BC/VI/YK Regional Championship for taking on this enormous task. I am honoured to have been invited to judge at this event. I wish everyone a wonderfully happy time. Enjoy every minute!

Wendy Beard

Denise Reid-Clarke

I am super excited to be chosen to be part of the 2027 BC/VI/YK Regional Championship judging team! 

I took an obedience class with my very first dog which included an intro to agility over 20 years ago and have been obsessed ever since. I have competed with 2 Shetland Sheepdogs (Shadow & Mist), I am currently competing with a Border Collie (Wicked) and another Shetland Sheepdog (Nimbus). I have been judging for over 10 years and love designing fast, flowing courses with fun challenges. I am looking forward to watching all the teams showcase their skills and make wonderful memories.

Good luck everyone!!

Denise Reid-Clarke

Antoine Pelletier

What an honour! Honour with a capital “H”! Judging a provincial is no easy task, which is why the host club’s analysts worked day and night to find that rare gem: the great, the one and only, Antoine!

At the age of 8, He dreamed of being like my grandmother — an agility judge. That was back when Border Collies didn’t yet dominate the competition scene in Quebec, and when the chute and the table weren’t mere relics.

His dream came true in a little under 10 years: he became a judge — and in the very same week that he got his first car and earned his high school diploma. Life was giving him wings!

He has watched the sport evolve through many colours over the years; he feels as though he grew up alongside it.

“As a judge, I’m the biggest spectator of your performances — the brilliant ones and the dreadful ones alike — and that’s what I love. I can watch a perfect run and think to myself that my course was executed flawlessly, exactly as I’d imagined it, and I nearly find myself with tears in my eyes. Then the next dog, off to a great start, spots a squirrel in the distance (the trigger) and loses every good reason to stay obedient, bolting violently toward its prey — all without the handler decoding a single ounce of what just happened. What an incredible show!

Keep it up, dear competitors — keep making me smile, keep telling me things like ‘He doesn’t do that in practice, I don’t know what’s gotten into him.’

Roll up your sleeves, lace up your shoes, and show me what you’re made of! The honour belongs to your talent.”

Good luck!

Antoine Pelletier