Bonnie Norris

Bonnie Sykes Norris started riding and showing horses when she was 6 years old. By the time she was in high school she was training horses for other people and showing them in Dressage, Western Pleasure, Hunter and Jumpers.

      In college at the University of Hawaii Bonnie trained and participated in behavioral studies training Bottlenose Dolphins. She graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Anthropology from North Texas State University. After graduating, Bonnie was employed full time training Arabian Horses for show and breeding.
      In 1982 Bonnie began to show and breed AKC Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Since then she has bred over 57 AKC champions, Top Ten Conformation dogs, Agility dogs, Obedience dogs, and Field Trial dogs. She bred, handled and trained the #1 Agility R.R. in the U.S. and a Top Ten Obedience RR. She's been a Top Five Breeder in the U.S. for 1999,'00,'01: number one Breeder U.S.(tied) for 2002.

      In 1999 Bonnie purchased an 18 month old Scottish import Border Collie named "Kilt." Fifteen months later, Kilt had qualified for the USDAA Agility Grand Prix Nationals, Steeplechase Nationals and Masters Team Tournament Nationals. Bonnie has put Agility titles on 5 different dogs and three different breeds, she competes at the USDAA Masters level and the AKC Excellent B level and the NADAC Elite level with three different dogs.

      Her Border Collie "Kilt" obtained his AKC Masters Agility Championship (MACH), his MACH 2 and his USDAA Masters Agility Dog (ADCH) titles before retiring healthy and happy at age 10. In 2007, Kilt took fourth in Texas, all jump heights, in the AKC Nationals State Team Tournament in Ohio. Kilt also ran clean through the Semi-finals in the USDAA National Championships in Scottsdale, Arizona.

      Her Sheltie "Zap!" was moving towards his AKC MACH title when disaster struck and he had to be retired early due to a devastating injury. Her Sheltie "Cloud", which she co-handles with her daughter, Larkin, is also half way through her AKC MACH title.

      Bonnie's newest dog, Border Collie Hidden Valley Crouching Tiger (aka "Ice") began competing at 15 months of age and completed both his AKC Novice Standard and Open Standard titles and his AKC Novice Jumpers With Weaves and Open Jumpers With Weaves titles in three trials at 16 months of age. He is now competing at the Excellent level in both Standard and Jumpers With Weaves at 17 months of age. She has also started Herding training with this youngster and plans on competing some day in USBCHA and AKC Herding as time allows.

      Bonnie has hosted or attended seminars by Two Time World Champion Chris Charpentier, U.S. World Team member Linda Kipp, U.S. World Team member Joy Bishop, Animal Behaviorist and USDAA National Steeplechase winner Pam Reid Ph.D., USDAA National Grand Prix winner Susan Garrett, AKC World Team member Gerry Brown, and Stacy Peardot. She lives with 4 dogs, her loving husband, her two dog-crazy kids, one horse and one fat cat.