Fast CAT

“The CAT stands for Coursing Ability Test, and the “fast” stands for, well, fast!” What is FCAT? FCAT is a race, the dog against the clock, chasing a white plastic garbage bag tied to a string on a pulley system. It’s a 100-yard straightway, where some dogs can get to speeds of up to 50 miles per hour! “It may not be a real bunny, but most dogs have no problem pretending!” If you’d like to read more about FCAT and how to get started teaching lures and what to expect at an event, please see the link below.

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/fast-cat-101/

Here are a few words from Dawn Mlatecek about Direwolf Etheral Mysterious Grace, aka Yugen and how she got started. Yugen currently holds a title of FCAT, with the fastest time of all CSVs clocking in at 31.20 mph.

“Yugen was a runner from the moment I picked her up at 8 weeks old. Although, like most puppies, she loved to run away from me, we turned it into a positive and started running FCAT. On Dec 25, 2023, she turned a year old and we decided to enter a FCAT in Alabama that week. Yugen managed to launch herself into 3rd place in Breed in her first competition. This gave her an invite to the FCAT Invitational in Ohio fall 2024. Although she is training in other sports, this is her sport, so we decided to take the trip. She turned this into her first National Championship and my first dog to accomplish such an amazing achievement at only a year old. What is next for Yugen? Well, we will continue to train on the dock and in agility and of course keep chasing the bunny! She loves to play, hike, and run so we hope to have continued success in the dog sport world and hopefully encourage other CSV owners to get out there and play with your pups!”