OUR HISTORY
Action K9 Sports began in 1985 as the San Pasqual Herding Facility. It was established by Terry Parrish as a place for ANY herding dog, regardless of breed, to come out and enjoy the herding life. Until then, only Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, and some Australian Cattle Dogs had dedicated places to learn this art.
The original location was at Sykes Adobe, headquarters to the Oliver Livestock Company. For two years, Terry worked as a part-time cow hand and chief herding instructor. In 1986, the local Sheltie club wished to start an official herding organization recognizing the non-traditional breeds.
Terry was asked to design a course that would be something many breeds could do. This effort grew into the American Herding Breed Association (AHBA) and began an enormous change for these breeds.
In 1987, Oliver Livestock closed down and Terry moved her operation to the area behind the Orfila Winery and eventually to the current location on Old Milky Way. She had the first private facility for herding trials in the state and began hosting many events for all breeds; until then, they had been held in fairgrounds or equestrian arenas. She began a collaboration with Rita Knight of Tenaja Ranch in Murrieta, CA, the San Pasqual Stockdog Association (SPSA), and added large pastures, big arenas, more sheep, and cattle to meet the growing desire for herding trials.
When United States Border Collie Handlers Association (USBCHA) began sanctioning Cattle Dog trials, SPSA was the first entity in the West to host one. They also hosted the first USBCHA Nursery trial in California when the Nursery program was established.
The Tri-County Australian Shepherd Club formed during that time and held their first trials at SPSA’s facilities in Murrieta. The German Shepherd Nationals was also held there; with 100+ acres all three courses could be offered.
In 2005, Rita decided to sell her ranch so Terry moved all the sheep back to Escondido and began developing Action K9 Sports. During the intervening years, this facility has hosted many Specialty and National events for various breed clubs and promoted the excellence of herding.