My three-year-old dog recently had a nearly catastrophic accident at a trial. While striding across a 12-inch wide dog walk ramp, my dog stepped just one inch off the edge, resulting in a disturbing crash, which might have caused an injury that could have ended her career. You can see the moment captured in this video: (https://youtu.be/Swpi7MXfft0?si=i6vNxlBDyu_nxbOf

This experience has highlighted a crucial issue in AKC/FCI/UKI/IFCS equipment specifications that needs urgent attention.

If you do:

• 2 trial weekends per month
• 1 class per week
• 2 training sessions on your own/week
• Above equals ~ 500 dog walks/year
• UKI statistic of 1 fall out of 315 attempts
• Your dog could fall 1.6 times/year

The current 12-inch width standard for dog walk ramps offers minimal margin for error. Dogs, regardless of their agility and training, can slip, lose footing, or simply misstep, leading to unnecessary injuries. These injuries are not only painful for the dogs but also emotionally and financially taxing for owners and trainers. 

See video of dogs negotiating an 18" wide DW compared to standard for some empirical data: 

https://youtu.be/YNAXAaMpdMs?si=nwA7c1tIC9vCv7Iw 

Therefore, we urge agility organizations to come together to establish a new standard and update the specifications to require wider planks for dog walks, ensuring a safer environment for all competing dogs. 

Please indicate your support by signing the below petition. We are looking for as many signatures as possible across the international agility community. This information will be sent to the agility organizations mentioned above, in hopes that we can make our sport safer for our beloved companions. 

The safety of our dogs should be paramount. By providing just a few extra inches of safety margin, we can reduce the risk of injury and promote a more positive experience for both dogs and handlers in agility sports. Wider ramps may prevent accidents like the one my dog experienced and ensure that no other dog's career, or even life, is jeopardized on these courses.