Profile - (ESAA) MASTER AGILITY AWARD RECIPIENT

Patty McBride
Feb 26
2 min read

Updated: Feb 27

GCH CH Festivity BJ's Birchrun Kiss The Flame CD BN RE MX MXB MXJ NJP MXF ACT1 DN CGCA CGCU TKA FTI VES4, (photo by Garth Gourlay at 2024 National)

**Sue Johnson with Kenya at the AKC Agility International, December, 2025**

I contacted Sue after seeing her Facebook Post, following the 2025 AKC Agility International. The pictures captured by Great Dane Photos were captivating and I wanted to know more about her love of English Setters and her love of the sport. She graciously let me interview her and provided me with details of her story and Kenya's rise to Agility Stardom!!

Sue fondly recalls participating in Conformation showing during her high school and college days, when she handled other people's pets in the show ring.

Her first two English Setters came from Mary Schmitt of Abbyroad E.S., in 1982. Since then she has had several English Setters, including one litter of eleven in 2009. She first competed in obedience in 1991, agility in 2006 and Rally in 2012. She describes her venturing into agility with "Tatum" a young bitch that "needed to be busy." She kept "Parker" from litter in 2009, who became the most decorated agility English Setter, qualifying for the AKC Agility Invitational six times, going five of those years and the AKC Agility Nationals twice and going once.

Our current star, "Kenya," was bred by ESCC's Kristen Apodaca and BJ Parsons DVM, in 2019: (GCHG CH Weymouths En Fuego x CH Festivity BJ's Frozen Margarita JH)

Sue quickly recognized in Kenya, a setter that loves to work and train more than she does. "Every day we train something . . . she wants to learn new things, new tricks." Kenya, apparently has "zero interest" in FASTCAT. While she did dock diving for one season and loves the dive, Kenya doesn't like how loud the crowd is and was intimidated when diving in that venue. She is good at Rally, and likes agility, but Sue says, Kenya "wants to do what I want to do!"

Sue told me, "I like to compete, have always been like that." With agility, "it is not like competing with someone else. Every trial day is different courses and you don't know what it will be. If a course is posted the night before, I can plan, knowing skills my dog has - how am I going to get here from there, where can I make up time? Running the course is an "adrenaline rush," but "sometimes we get there (the dog) and are not in the mood." I also like the "social aspect of agility, like all other dog activities."

In a 5 Jan 2026 post on Facebook - Sue shared, "Look what Kenya got in the mail! Thank you ESAA Club!