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Zoya's nomination letter
Submitted by Alaska Dogs Gone Wild, Anchorage, AK, US.
Zoya is a special flyball dog. She was rescued at 2-3 years of age from a shelter in Alaska after having already been returned once. Weighing 25-lbs, she looks like a Whippet/Shepherd, but a DNA test revealed mostly Husky, Sheltie, and Pug! Arguably Zoya's greatest achievement and biggest contribution to NAFA is having taught two junior handlers to compete in flyball. She also helped train countless dogs and handlers. Zoya has the distinction of being the top pointed dog in Alaska, earning 56,973 points. She also received the Iron Dog award. Throughout her career, she ran with 63 unique dogs from 13 clubs scattered among 7 regions. Zoya is one of only a few dogs who raced in the first 11 CanAms. In 2017, she ran on the ADGW regular team that won the Division 6 CanAm Classic Championship while handled by an 11-year-old. During her final tournament in January 2020, shortly before turning 14, Zoya still easily cleared the jumps and maintained her beautiful box turn--a turn showcased in "The Beginner's Guide to Flyball" (page 76, What's a Good Box Turn?). Zoya's spirit, longevity, and achievements in the sport of flyball truly set her apart..
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