Laura Hartwick does a lot of things. Serious multi tasky, jackassery of all trades. After nearly 40 years of training horses and dogs and their people in Santa Cruz, California, she’s almost totally gone to the dogs and is teaching full time at Heart Dog Agility . Laura is an experienced trainer, handler, and national level competitor in agility, and has lots to share with all levels of students. Watch her in action here.
Laura’s owned and competed with many breeds in those twenty-some-plus years, ranging from her border collies to her proud members of the Small Dog Mafia, weirdo little terrier-heeler-whotheheckknows rescue dogs, all of who were consistently ranked in the USDAA Top Ten. She currently competes with her two incredible border collies Banksy and Bader.
Banksy’s illustrious agility career has put her on too many podium placements to list in the 16″ and 20″ divisions at all large West Coast UKI and USDAA events for the past 8 years. Ten year old Banksy won the silver medal in Medium Agility at the 2024 Purina Incredible Dog Challenge this year and the Steeplechase and Grand Prix Finals at the USDAA Western Regionals. Banksy finished out 2024 as a finalist at the USDAA World Cynosport Games Steeplechase and Grand Prix, taking bronze in the Steeplechase finals.
In 2023, Bader won top podium spots at the UKI West Coast Open, UKI West Coast Cup, USDAA Western Regional, and 3 different AKC ISC Cups. 2024 milestones include winning the Weave Challenge at the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge in Huntington Beach, the silver medal in the Inaugural UKI International ICE event, gold medal at the USDAA Western Regionals Grand Prix Finals, bronze medal in the UKI West Coast Open Overall Masters Series, invitations to the Chicago UKI Invitational and Purina Incredible Dog Finals in Missouri, and being a USDAA Cynosport World Games finalist in the Grand Prix.
She’s still an artist, writer, and spends untold hours ambling around in the woods, but these days mostly you’ll need to catch up to her running her tail off with her border collies at agility trials around the country instead of horse shows. She is also the manager of the Lost Empire Ranch in the Santa Cruz mountains.
When the weather’s crummy, she’s inside drawing and painting. Weather’s good, you might spot her painting outside somewhere, if you know where to look. You can order up a custom dog portrait while you’re at it, before the sun comes out again and she has to stay outside to play.
Laura is available at any of these convenient locations:
dog & pony show
Laura Hartwick does a lot of things. Serious multi tasky, jackassery of all trades. After nearly 40 years of training horses and dogs and their people in Santa Cruz, California, she’s almost totally gone to the dogs and is teaching full time at Heart Dog Agility . Laura is an experienced trainer, handler, and national level competitor in agility, and has lots to share with all levels of students. Watch her in action here.
Laura’s owned and competed with many breeds in those twenty-some-plus years, ranging from her border collies to her proud members of the Small Dog Mafia, weirdo little terrier-heeler-whotheheckknows rescue dogs, all of who were consistently ranked in the USDAA Top Ten. She currently competes with her two incredible border collies Banksy and Bader.
Banksy’s illustrious agility career has put her on too many podium placements to list in the 16″ and 20″ divisions at all large West Coast UKI and USDAA events for the past 8 years. Ten year old Banksy won the silver medal in Medium Agility at the 2024 Purina Incredible Dog Challenge this year and the Steeplechase and Grand Prix Finals at the USDAA Western Regionals. Banksy finished out 2024 as a finalist at the USDAA World Cynosport Games Steeplechase and Grand Prix, taking bronze in the Steeplechase finals.
In 2023, Bader won top podium spots at the UKI West Coast Open, UKI West Coast Cup, USDAA Western Regional, and 3 different AKC ISC Cups. 2024 milestones include winning the Weave Challenge at the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge in Huntington Beach, the silver medal in the Inaugural UKI International ICE event, gold medal at the USDAA Western Regionals Grand Prix Finals, bronze medal in the UKI West Coast Open Overall Masters Series, invitations to the Chicago UKI Invitational and Purina Incredible Dog Finals in Missouri, and being a USDAA Cynosport World Games finalist in the Grand Prix.
She’s still an artist, writer, and spends untold hours ambling around in the woods, but these days mostly you’ll need to catch up to her running her tail off with her border collies at agility trials around the country instead of horse shows. She is also the manager of the Lost Empire Ranch in the Santa Cruz mountains.
When the weather’s crummy, she’s inside drawing and painting. Weather’s good, you might spot her painting outside somewhere, if you know where to look. You can order up a custom dog portrait while you’re at it, before the sun comes out again and she has to stay outside to play.
Laura is available at any of these convenient locations:
Agility Training and Seminars:
https://heartdogagility.com/lessons/
Social Medias:
https://www.facebook.com/laura.hartwick
https://www.youtube.com/@teamsmalldog
Order Portraits & Giclee Prints:
http://www.teamsmalldog.com
Buy Shirts:
http://www.teespring.com/stores/teamsmalldog
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So many ways to find her that there’s no reason not to.
Get in touch! email: laurahartwick at gmail dot com
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