About Us

Advancing the science of canine sports.

We are a multi-disciplinary team of experienced researchers with a passion for canine sports. Our team is focused on driving research, innovation and evidence-based veterinary sports medicine, and delivering impactful results, even with limited resources. Our diverse expertise and collaborative approach enable us to address challenges creatively and effectively. Together, we are committed to making a meaningful impact on canine sports science and beyond.

Our Story

Our journey into agility research began over a decade ago, driven by a lack of evidence-based answers to crucial questions about agility safety and performance. While working at The Ohio State University, I (Dr. Arielle Pechette Markley) partnered with Dr. Abigail Shoben, a biostatistician, and Dr. Nina Kieves, a Veterinary orthopedic surgeon, to conduct a survey on agility injuries, which led to multiple journal publications. Over the years, our collaboration expanded, resulting in over three dozen published journal articles and abstracts.

As our passion for advancing agility research grew, we connected with Dr. Rachel Olson, a kinesiologist at the University of Akron, and Dr. Melody Moore Jackson, a computer scientist at Georgia Tech. Together, we recognized the need for better tools to evaluate agility performance and injury risk, and thus, the AGILE (AGility Innovations Leveraging Electronics) project was born. Supported by the AKC Canine Health Foundation, we are developing a wearable sensor and app to monitor agility-related activities, a project still in development with exciting updates to come. From that initial project, our research has expanded to encompass areas such as biomechanics, machine learning techniques, surface factors, and obstacle safety, all aimed at furthering the understanding of sport performance and injury prevention.

Our research continues to push the boundaries of canine sports science, aiming to improve safety and performance for dogs and handlers alike.