It seemed like a “fairy-tale”, Peter Schofield said. But it happened.
The 69-year-old Lostock dad and his dog Lola placed 14th in the World Dog Agility Championship in Belgium’s Sentower Park.
They competed against 29 countries including America and Brazil.
Peter said: “Lola was amazing. She really did me proud. A lot of the dogs were faster, but they made a lot of mistakes.”
The championships were a week ago, but Peter, 69, still had trouble believing it.
He said: “It seems like a dream. It’s too good to be true that you can get a family pet and get to that level.”
Peter never planned for this. He bought Lola, the first dog he ever owned, for his daughter eight years ago.
He was already 60 and retired.
He said: “I never knew that I got on with dogs, but I bonded with her very quickly.
“When I got her, I had no vision. I’d seen Crufts on television, but never been to a show."
He began teaching her simple tricks for scraps of food while he cooked.
Peter said: “She was so intelligent that we kept training in the back garden, then in a farmer’s field on some homemade equipment.”
Peter and Lola joined a dog agility club. They competed in the British Open Agility Championship semi-finals.
He originally bought Lola the cockapoo because he and his daughter watched a dog named Pudsey on Britain’s Got Talent.
Peter said: “Now I compete with Pudsey’s owner Ashley Butler.”
In April, Lola was selected to represent Team GB in Belgium.
Peter said: “To go from never having a dog to being in the world championships was a fairy-tale."
At 69, Peter also wants to inspire other seniors and let them know that they can do it.
He said: “I think a lot of people think when they retire, that’s it.
“But there’s lots of things older people can do to get out there and keep fit.
“I have to walk them maybe 2 miles a day and we train a couple of times a week.
"Dogs will keep you fit and keep your mind healthy.
“When we compete, we do 20 obstacles like jumps and tunnels in just over 30 seconds. And I have to run as well.”
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