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Congratulations to ALL who competed this past weekend!!

They will be ringside tweeting live and blogging the show from now until the showing on ABC, Feb. 4 2012, be sure to keep an eye on their blogs (click on their blog logo to go to their blogs)

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Susi is a writer by profession and has been active in the dog fancy as an owner/breeder/handler of Pulik since 1978.  She recently termed out as the secretary for the Puli Club of America but remain co-chairman of our Judges Education Committee.

@KnobNots on Twitter

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Billy Wheeler has been attending dog shows as a spectator and exhibitor for over 40 years. He is a retired management consultant who has advised multiple organizations affiliated with the AKC and the Cat Fanciers Association on business management, long range planning, customer service, and legislative matters.

@DogShowPoop on Twitter

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Read about Diane on her blog and how Cosmo, her Havanese was the inspiration behind To Dog With Love

@ToDogWithLove on Twitter

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Known in the blogosphere as Dr. V since no one can ever pronounce Jessica’s last name, she graduated with honors from the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, she began practicing medicine in San Diego in both emergency and general practice. She launched pawcurious in 2009 as a way to share her life and love of animals with people who share the same affection for pets.

@Pawcurious on Twitter

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Jennifer is a Veterinarian Technician at a local animal hospital for the past 6 years.  She has been involved in dog showing for the past 5 years with her 2 Newfoundlands, Sherman and Leroy. Sherman is her first show dog and he earned his championship title in 2009. Leroy is almost a champion needing only one more point. Sherman is retired now from showing and has just sired his very first litter of 12 puppies!

@MyBrownNewfies on Twitter

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Pam is experiencing her first dog show, one that she has watched on TV for years with her son!  She has 2 cats and one excessively handsome Miniature Schnauzer name Oskar.  Oskar publishes his own blog from his viewpoint & Pet Blogs United is a collaborative effort designed to bring pet bloggers together and introduce exciting content to pet bloggers.

@PetBlogsUnited on Twitter

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Kathleen lives with three Chinooks and writes for several blogs, offers dog training and is a AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator.  She is traveling from Minnesota to cover the show!  Check out all the blogs she writes for on her website

@RileyRants on Twitter

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Petside.com is a great source of health and wellness information for you and your pet to get the most of out life.  Take a walk on the petside!

@Petside on Twitter

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You may see Laura Nativo and her dog, Preston Casanova,filming many behind the scenes videos that include interviews with exhibitors, spectators and perhaps a few dogs!

@LauraNativo on Twitter

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-  Thousands of dogs will compete in three national AKC events taking place under the same roof. In conjunction with the AKC Agility Invitational, the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship and AKC National Obedience Invitational are held.

-  The first AKC Agility Invitational took place in December 2006 in Long Beach, Calif.

-  The top five ranked agility dogs in each of the 173 AKC recognized breeds are invited to attend this prestigious event. In addition, FCI membership countries have also been invited to send teams of three dogs per team to this event. The event qualifying period ran from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011.

-  Winners will be crowned in five height classes: 8”, 12”, 16”, 20”, 24”

-  On Saturday, dogs will run Excellent-level Standard and Jumpers with Weaves courses. On Sunday, dogs will run Excellent-level Hybrid and Jumpers with Weaves courses. After the completion of four rounds over two days, the top dogs in each jump height will move to the finals. The Finals are open only to the top 57 dogs overall through the four rounds of competition.

-  Three hundred and seventy seven                        Invitational, including a MACH17. Other champions entered include three National Agility Champions, 105 Breed Champions; 2 Triple Champions; 2 Dual Champions, 5 Field Champions and 2 Obedience Champions.

-  California has the largest number of entrants, with 51 dogs entered.

-  Breeds ranging from the Great Dane to the Chihuahua will compete in the 2011 event. Several rare breeds entered include the Catahoula Leopard Dog, Coton de Tulear, Eurasier, Kooikerhondje, Peruvian Inca Orchid and Spanish Water Dog. For the first time ever, All-American dogs have been invited to compete.

-  Awards will be provided for all dogs that run clear during each individual round. Additionally, cash prizes will be awarded for the Top Group winners after two rounds and the Top Clear Round and Top International Clear Round dogs will be awarded after Round 3. Four Top Scoring Dogs awards for dogs with an obedience title, a rally title and a tracking title and dogs with a conformation championship title will be awarded after Round 3. Also, Top Dog Medallions for each breed shall be awarded after Round 4, if sponsored by the Parent Club.

-  The inaugural AKC Juniors Agility Competition will run Friday morning prior to the weekend’s AKC Agility Invitational. Juniors participating in the AKC Juniors Agility Competition will be running both Standard and Jumpers with Weaves courses in either the Junior Excellent or Superior Classes, depending on whether they’ve achieved an agility title.

-  To learn more about the AKC Agility Invitational, visit http://www.akc.org/events/agility/invitational/