Over! Rover was inspired by my dogs, Godiva (chocolate Lab) and Rocco (Italian greyhound).  Together, we have been training and competing in the sport of agility since January of 1992.  We started out with USDAA in Florida when there were only 2 clubs putting on USDAA agility tests.  Agility started to take over like a brushfire as more and more people and dogs discovered the fun and camaraderie available in this sport.  NCDA (now UKC) was the other venue available in Florida at the time, so we earned titles in that as well.  With the onset of AKC's first agility trial in Florida, in April of 1995 the sport flourished even more as other clubs started holding events and even more people got involved.  At this time, hardly a weekend goes by in Florida without the chance of getting to compete in a trial or test, going to a seminar, or participating in a demo or match somewhere in the state.

In the beginning, I began to build makeshift obstacles so I could train in my backyard in between going to classes about an hour away.  I patterned my backyard "toys" after what I had seen at clubs, but was disappointed with their bulkiness, lack of resistance to the elements and inconvenience in storage.  The more equipment I saw as the sport grew in Florida, the more I realized that it was not very "user friendly".  With 80% to 90% of the competitors being female, it seemed that the equipment was too heavy and needed way too much maintenance, and was either hard to assemble or needed tools (which a lot of women did not seem to be comfortable using).  Thus, Over! Rover was born!

I began designing equipment that was made of lightweight, yet durable, products such as PVC and aluminum.  These were also resistant to the Florida weather, where wood warps and rots and steel rusts.  I also made them with the minimum of maintenance involved, so they could be left outdoors year round.  The artist in me had to make them pretty enough that even in the pickiest of homeowner's associations, they would not be considered an eyesore by that next door neighbor who didn't own a dog.   Another fact that needed consideration was the frequency and duration of lawn maintenance.  The equipment needed to be able to be moved with ease to mow around or redesign courses so the grass wouldn't die under the A-Frame and Dogwalk because they were too heavy to be moved.  A minimum of parts without having to use tools was also something I took into consideration.  How many times have you laid down a screwdriver or bolt, only to have it seemingly disappear in the grass a second later?

My final criteria was that it needed to be portable (since I have owned a Honda Civic hatchback for the last 10 years) so that all of the equipment for an individual or a club could be put into a pickup or a van.  (Not all of us are lucky enough to own an enclosed trailer or horse trailer.)  Competing in many different venues of agility allowed me to see the need for affordable, adaptable, dependable, and beautiful equipment.  My experience in judging for AKC agility has also helped me design equipment that is very quick to change jump heights, easily change courses, and is also easy to judge as it allows the judge (and the dog and handler) to see the obstacles and dog without blocking the view with solid wings and bulky contact equipment. 

I hope you enjoy visiting the Over! Rover website and would love to hear your comments and questions and ideas.  I am always willing to customize equipment with colors or specific size requirements, so do not hesitate to contact me if there is something you need that you do not find at this site.

I would like to thank Web Connection in Satellite Beach, Florida for helping to bring Over! Rover to the Internet