APDT Rally Transitions to Cynosport APDT Rally

Greenville, SC, August 13, 2012 — The Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) is pleased to announce the upcoming transition of the APDT Rally program to the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA). The program will be known as World Cynosport® APDT Rally during the transition period.

The APDT Board of Trustees is very excited about their selection of the new home for APDT Rally. USDAA has built a successful worldwide operation for the enjoyment of the sport of dog agility and the APDT Board of Trustees believes they have the enthusiasm and business acumen to do the same for APDT Rally.

USDAA is the world’s largest independent authority for the sport of dog agility, with more than 30,000 registered competitors and more than 200 different breeds of dogs, including mixed breeds. USDAA represents more than 150 affiliated groups conducting more than 600 days of events each year throughout the continental United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Costa Rica, Bermuda and Japan.

Organized in 1986 to introduce and “Promote International Standards for Dog AgilitySM” patterned after the British standards for the sport, USDAA has evolved into an international organization with the most comprehensive and diverse certification program for dog agility anywhere in the world. USDAA is a producer of three international tournament series – USDAA’s Grand Prix of Dog Agility® World Championships, the $10,000 Dog Agility Steeplechase®, and the Dog Agility Masters® Three-Dog Team Championship, which all culminate each year at the Cynosport® World Games, USDAA’s flagship event.

USDAA is a charter member of the International Federation of Cynological Sports (IFCS), a nonprofit organization headquartered in Russia whose principal purpose is to organize cynological sports world wide after the “Olympic Ideal”, promoting sport as a means of educational exchange and interaction of competitors among nations in amateur sport on a nondiscriminatory basis. Through IFCS and efforts of its own, USDAA has established affiliations in more than a fifteen countries on six continents. USDAA hosted IFCS World Agility Championship in the United States for the first time in 2012.

The APDT and USDAA staffs are currently developing a timeframe for the transition and expect the transition to be completed by the end of 2012. As part of the transition agreement, USDAA has agreed to:

• Allow all current exhibitors to transition to the new program without additional registration. Future registrants would receive a single registration good for all USDAA programs currently offered (Rally, Agility, etc.)
• Continue to operate the Rally program with its current set of rules and regulations and price structure.
• All titles and awards previously awarded would be recognized and integrated into the USDAA master database.
• Create a Competition Rules Standards Advisory Board to consult and advise among leaders in the current APDT Rally program and to represent the interests of competitors and others with experience in the field in order to maintain continuity and to make recommendations for future changes and development.
• Seek to develop and promote a world championship tournament series for Rally, the finals of which would be held at the USDAA’s annual Cynosport® World Games.
• Promote the program nationally and internationally to attract dog owners worldwide to participate in interactive dog sports and activities as a means of providing quality of life for people and their pets.

In addition, the USDAA and the APDT will work together to educate the public on the important elements of responsible pet ownership, including the importance of training and socialization, being active for quality of life, and basic health and care of pets.