Knox Obedience Dog Club recently celebrated its 55th anniversary.
From humble beginnings in a backyard in Boronia, the club now boasts more than 1000 members.
In 1979, the club moved to Knox Park at Knoxfield where members built the clubhouse. Dog breeds of all ages from 16 weeks are catered for.
The volunteer-run club has an agreement with Council for use of the land, under an arrangement spanning over 40 years. Members have access to three large grass ovals next to a fully-fenced dog park.
When agility training was introduced in Victoria in 1987, Knox was one of the first clubs to run an agility trial.
Committee member Nola Williams is the proud owner of three generations of high performance miniature poodles – Crystal, Pearl and Sapphire.
“Last November, Sapphire and I won the Victorian State Trial Championship in agility for her height of dog,” Nola says. “They’ve all reached the highest level of masters in agility. Crystal has titles in Dances with Dogs and in obedience, and they’ve all got titles in rally, which is another version of training.”
Secretary John Howard says the club is not just about training dogs to be obedient or become champions.
“You get to see other people, you chat with other people,” he says. “It’s not only dogs meeting dogs, it’s people meeting people”.
“We’re a community-based organisation that encourages owners to train their dogs to become part of the family and the community.”
For information about Knox Obedience Dog Club visit knoxodc.org.au
