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| Maureen and Bo winning the 1989 JRTCA Obedience Nationals. |
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Dog Works Training Center is located on Lee and Maureen Robinson's farm overlooking Lake Summit, 200 Smyre Road, Zirconia, NC 28790. (828) 697- 2604
Maureen
has been owned by dogs and horses her whole life. Learning from knowledgeable trainers, attending seminars, camps, and private lessons has led Maureen down a very successful path training dogs and their owners. She competed in
agility, obedience and breed for 20 years. Her personal dog endeavors now include competing her Border Collies in USBCHA herding events. All her dogs have first been beloved pets and members of the Robinson household. You can see photos of the SVF dogs by activating the above "home" page link.
SVF Bo is the dog that led Maureen and Lee down the path to building The Dog Works. Bo was the first Jack
in the U.S. to earn the top level Utility Title in Obedience. He will always be Maureen's once in a lifetime dog. Maureen will always have a Jack by her side. Maureen considers Bo to be the dog that taught her the most about behavior shaping. Bo lived with Maureen for 15 or his 18 years. He was adopted when he was 3.
SVF Poison Ivy, her Australian Shepherd, earned Obedience Dog World Awards, placed in the USDAA Agility Grand Prix National Finals, was fifth 3 years in a row in the AKC Agility National Finals, and earned an Agility Dog Championship. Ivy lived at Summit View Farm for 15 years.
SVF Bar Hopper was Maureen's 25th wedding anniversary gift from Lee. "Toad" and Maureen finished third in the American Kennel Clubs 2000 National International Class. Toad, like Ivy, was an Agility Dog Champion both in USDAA and AKC agility. Toad was seen many times on Animal Planet. He had been a USDAA Steeplechase finalist as well as Grand Prix finalist, and was a 30-inch top ten in Jumpers as a youngster. Toad, like Ivy, was loved for 15 years.
SVF Lightning Bug is a "rescued" agility Border Collie. In 2005 Maureen brought out Bug in her first National competition. Bug did an outstanding job winning the 18" team standard and jumpers combination on Friday and took second place in the 16 inch "hybrid" round on Sunday, earning her way into the "Challenger's Round". Many will tell you that this round is the most exciting round in the entire AKC competition! In her retirement, Bug has been rehomed to Eva Olds.
SVF Leap'n Lizard, arrived August 28, 2004. Maureen spends most of her personal dog training time working with Lizard as she learns the exciting sport of sheep herding. Maureen and Lizard started competing in 2007 and are enjoying themselves. They have won some pro-novice and nursery USBCHA classes and are already placing in Open. This accomplishment is unusual for new dogs being trained by new herding handlers. Maureen credits their success to Lizard's breeding and the good instruction they have received from top trainers. Lizard qualified and competed in the Nursery class at the Border Collie Handlers National finals 2007 . Lizard was voted by the four judges at the 2007 Bluegrass Classic to be "The Most Promising Young Dog" at the Bluegrass. The Bluegrass Classic competition is one of the longest-running and most prestigious trials in the country. The trial typically draws top handlers from across the USA and Canada, as well as hundreds of local spectators.
SVF Newt will arrived at the farm March 2007. In November, 2007, Newt was running a Pro-Novice course and enjoying himself. May 2008 finds Newt following in Lizard's footsteps as he too brought home a special award from the Bluegrass Classic. Newt qualified and ran in the 2009 USBCHA National Nursery Finals held in Sept. in Oregon. Slide show of the dogs on their Western Fall '09 trip.SVF Hellbender joined the pack of pups at Summit View Farm in late Jan. 2009. "Bender: qualified to compete in the 2010 Nursery Finals and is looking forward to competing in the 2011 Nursery Finals held in Carbondale, CO Sept. 2011. You can see Bend's photos on the herding page. Click here to read Bender's training blog, lots of cute photos!
SVF Possumbiltees or "Possum" is living the high life of hunting on the farm, stealing training treats, and being the number one house dog. Toad, Possum and Bug were often seen competing in agility, being handled by Dog Works students and instructors.
SVF Weasel joined the Dog Works pack Nov. 2009. Weasel is a 3 year old "rescue" Jack Russell. You can follow his training by reading his blog.
Maureen has also trained and judged horses in several disciplines, riding her own to multiple National Championships. Maureen grew up in Central Florida, attended college in North Carolina and Virginia, and has lived with her husband, Lee, in Western North Carolina for 40 years. Her son, James, graduated from UNC-Charlotte and her daughter, Maren, from Appalachian State University. Lee is an accomplished tennis player, while Maureen pursues photography as an outside interest. In 2002 Maureen started raising rare breed chickens as well as Border Leicester wool sheep.
In July 2010, Maureen began her fight against Breast Cancer. You can follow her progress on her cancer blog.
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