CENTERVILLE, Ind. -- Tony Hoard impressed a crowd of Centerville students Friday by showing them "what a dog is capable of doing with the proper training, good nutrition and a lot of love."
The dog trainer, America's Got Talent 2009 semifinalist and New Castle native visited Centerville-Abington Elementary School with three of his dogs to perform an array of flying disc tricks and to deliver a message of respect and self belief.
"If you guys want to have fun, we want to have fun," Hoard proclaimed at the beginning of the show. "How does that sound?" The students' enthusiastic cheering indicated they clearly wanted to have fun.
Hoard and his dogs -- Q, Elektra Blu and Rory -- did not disappoint their young audience. The dogs expertly caught disc after disc, leaping onto and off Hoard's back and dancing between his legs to raucous applause. To the students' delight, Hoard brought several teachers to the floor, where Rory leaped over them and plucked discs from their outstretched hands.
Between tricks, Hoard entreated his audience to respect their teachers and themselves and to strive to reach their full potential.
Hoard said that his star dog, the 9-year-old Australian Shepherd Rory, was a "castaway dog" whose original owners no longer wanted him. With training, Rory has gone on to win three canine flying disc world championships.
"Don't give up on yourselves," Hoard said. "Every one of you guys can be a champion of some sort."
Hoard and his dogs have been competing since 2004, though Hoard is in his first year of showing his dogs professionally. His previous job as a factory worker ended when his employer would not give him time off to compete in NBC's national television show America's Got Talent, where he and Rory became the first animal act to reach the top 20. They also have appeared on Good Morning America and The Martha Stewart Show.
Hoard said he trains two other dogs in addition to the three who performed Friday, and he plans to begin training another in June.
Centerville-Abington Elementary teacher Rett Foster, a friend of Hoard, organized the event and introduced him and his wife, Sarah, who handled the technical aspects of the show. Foster called them "two of the most talented people I know and two of the most caring people I know."
After the show Hoard reflected on the pleasure of performing for a young audience, saying that "when you can put a smile on a kid's face... it's just a rush."
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