When “Ziggy,” a Standard Poodle, trots into the AKC Obedience Classic ring in Orlando on December 13-14, spectators may first notice his bright expression and springy gait alongside owner and handler Kim Sanders. It might take a moment, if at all, to realize he’s the oldest dog in the competition. At 11 years old, Ziggy has faced medical challenges that might have ended many dogs’ performance careers, but he is still eager to work, still learning, and still holding his family together in ways that go far beyond the ring.
From Mom’s Dog to Teammate
Ziggy originally belonged to Sanders’ mother, who brought him home as a puppy while she and Sanders’ father were traveling seasonally between Pennsylvania and Florida. That changed when Sander’s father became ill. As she stepped in to help more, she began spending real time with Ziggy and quickly saw how much foundation work her mother had put in.
“He knew a lot of the basics, like heeling and had a good recall,” she explains. “I had trained and shown my Bullmastiffs before, so I started seeing what he knew and what my mom had done with him.”
After Sanders’ father’s passing, the family sold their Pennsylvania farm and moved to Florida full-time. Her mother was later hospitalized, and from there she went to rehabilitation and then into assisted living, where she remains today.
That’s when Ziggy’s role in Sanders’ life changed forever.
“He came to stay with me full-time,” she says. “I wasn’t planning to get another dog because I like to travel, but he was my parents’ dog — I wasn’t going to let him go anywhere else. And he’s wonderful. He really is. He’s held our family together the last couple of years just by being here for all of us.”
After years of working with Bullmastiffs, Ziggy felt like a revelation.
“With the Bullmastiffs, they never really liked obedience, so it was always a struggle, and it got to the point where it wasn’t any fun,” Sanders says. “Ziggy is like, ‘What can I do for you?’ He’s just so eager, and it makes everything a lot of fun for me.”
Beating Cancer and Bouncing Back
Ziggy’s sunny attitude has carried him through some very serious health issues. The first was a “funky toenail” that didn’t seem to bother him at first. Slowly, it worsened.
“I took him to the vet, and they did some imaging and discovered it was cancer: squamous cell carcinoma,” Sanders says. “They recommended amputation, so I did that.”
That alone would be an impressive comeback. But Ziggy still had another hurdle ahead: a long-standing ear problem that became severe after the move to Florida.
“He had ear problems on and off all his life,” Sanders says. “By the time we got to Florida, it got really bad. He had a horrible head tilt, and I realized it was starting to hurt him to chew, so he wasn’t eating.” Her veterinarian referred Ziggy to a specialist, where imaging revealed a tumor deep in the ear. By then, the options were limited.
“The only options we had were euthanasia or to try surgery,” Sanders says. “They did tell me with the surgery there was a 50% chance the tumor would grow back, but we decided he was worth giving it a try.”
The tumor is gone, but Ziggy still has a slight head tilt and sometimes has trouble with stairs, but the ring is another story.
“Surprisingly, he doesn’t seem to have any problem with the obedience jumps,” Sanders says.
Finding Joy in Obedience Again
Even while navigating surgeries and recovery, Ziggy’s obedience career continued to grow. He earned his Companion Dog (CD) title and went on to compete at a previous AKC Obedience Classic, where he placed 14th out of roughly 100 entries.
“I was thrilled,” Sanders says. “He wasn’t in the ribbons, but you know what? I don’t care. We had a great time. To be there in that atmosphere with all the other dogs that qualified — it was a lot of fun. For him to do that well after everything he’d been through that year, I thought it was incredible.”
This year, Ziggy and Sanders are entered in a more advanced level, with exercises that demand even more precision and teamwork. Sanders’ goals, though, are less about scores and more about performance and attitude.
“I know there’s no qualifying or disqualifying at the Classic because it’s more like a tournament,” she says. “But I would like to see him perform like he would have qualified at a normal show. I know he’s capable of doing everything — he got his CD — but some shows he has disqualified, and it’s been something different every time.”
If that happens in Orlando, Sanders won’t be disappointed in her dog.
“If he doesn’t, he doesn’t,” she says. “I’m not going to be upset with him. I feel like I’m getting extra time out of him, so I can’t be upset with whatever happens.”
She also admits that, like many handlers, she sometimes shares in the blame.
“A lot of times it’s been my mistake when we mess up,” she says, laughing. “Half the time it’s a bad throw, and it goes off to the side, and then he goes around the jump. So half the time it’s been my fault.”
After years of pushing for precision with dogs who didn’t enjoy the work, Sander’s whole approach has shifted.
“I swear I was never going to get back into doing this again,” she says. “With Ziggy, I try not to nitpick. He’s not perfect, and I’m not perfect, and because I want it to be fun for both of us, I’m not trying to get perfect straight fronts. Sometimes they’re straight, sometimes they aren’t — but I just want to go out and have fun. I think that’s what really matters.”
The Dog Holding a Family Together
Away from the showgrounds, Ziggy’s most important job doesn’t involve jumps, fronts, or heeling patterns. He is the bridge between Sanders and her mother.
Ziggy visits Sanders’ mother several times a week and has become a familiar face at the assisted living facility. “They love him there,” she says. “Everybody knows him. He knows exactly where to find her and goes right to her.”
On the tough days, when conversations feel heavy, or her mother isn’t feeling well, Ziggy quietly takes over.
“If she’s not feeling well, we don’t even have to talk,” Sanders says. “We can both brush the dog a little bit, or he’ll just curl up with her, and she’ll cuddle with him for a while. It helps so much having him there. It takes the pressure off sometimes.”
“He makes me smile every single day,” she adds. “Whatever happens at the Classic, I already feel like we’ve won.”
The AKC National Championship, presented by Royal Canin, has crowned its 2025 Best in Show! Learn more about conformation and follow your favorite breeds at dog shows throughout the year.