The 1st Annual Masters Agility Championship at Westminster will host a canine competitor with a distinctive name and life story. As reported by KSAZ Fox 10, “Sonic the pirate” is a beagle that was found roaming the desert near Tucson, Arizona at 4-months old. He was only hours away from being euthanized when Suzanne Myers rescued and adopted the puppy.

Suzanne told the station how the pup got his characteristic name, "We came in and Sonic was hanging from the curtains, and he was pulling the curtain rod out of the wall. He was having a little bit of separation anxiety, and so he was, he was hanging by his teeth by the curtains and I said, ‘Well that looks like something a pirate would do.’ So we just started calling him Sonic the pirate.”

The Westminster Masters Agility Championship will host a field of 225 dogs and will take place in New York City two days before the famous Westminster Dog Show. The sport of dog agility has canines and their handlers racing against the clock while they navigate an obstacle course of jumps, ramps, tunnels, and more. According to the Westminster Kennel Club, the sport of dog agility is the fastest growing dog sport in the country.

Sonic’s earlier agility trial achievements earned him titles to compete at the “Masters” level. It’s a proud accomplishment that Myers, his owner and handler, wants to promote. Myers said, "I just want Sonic to go, not that because he's the fastest dog, not because he’s the best dog, but because he's a really good example of what you can do with a rescue dog.”

Video and more info: KSAZ