About
I’m Anne Stocum from Fairport, NY. I describe myself as nature lover, border collie obsessed, dog trainer, family-centric and of late…photographer. I have been involved in dog sports for over 25 years. Dog Agility was my main sport for many years but I now enjoy and teach Nosework and participate in herding. And…as of 2025, I have started a small (very small) dog photography business.
I am fortunate to have studied with some of the world’s best dog trainers (and photographers!) but my greatest teachers are my own dogs who have taught me to enjoy the journey and to “think out of the box” when building value for and understanding skills needed for life and dog sports.
I have done a bit of writing in both this blog and for Clean Run magazine. You can find links to my articles on the Resources page.
I love teaching and helping teams achieve their best through good dog training and consistent handling that builds a solid foundation, and is fun for both handler and dog. All training is a game!
As a photographer, I’m grateful I stumbled on That Tog Spot online learning platform guided by Jessica McGovern. My subjects range from landscapes, birds and other wildlife but mostly my dogs and client dogs. My goal in every photo shoot is to create a positive experience for the dog while creating a beautiful and memorable portrait for the client.
My Dogs:
Most of all, my dogs are my pets and companions who give our family great joy and laughter in all the goofy things they do. Here is a little about them, from youngest to oldest:
Keen: 
a border collie, 3 yrs old. What a great guy! We are concentrating on herding and nosework at this time. He was trained up in agility but I decided it was time to move on. Keen is fun-loving, energetic and super friendly to all creatures – human and four-legged.
Nick: a border collie, 10 years old (already!). Tons of drive bundled in a very handsome, biddable, quick package. We started out training agility and competed in AKC and UKI agility. Unfortunately a serious injury led to surgery and lots of rehab and while he fully recovered, I decided to retire Nick from agility in 2021. Since then, we have concentrated on Nosework, competing in NACSW. Nick recently earned his first NW3 title.
Tai: Tai was an incredible athlete, best companion dog ever and overall a very happy guy. With his speed and long stride, Tai made me a better dog trainer and vastly better handler – to the benefit of me, my students and all future agility partners. Thank-you Tai for all the past, current and future lessons. Tai, earned his UKI Championship and AKC MACH and competed in several National finals and won or placed at a number of national and regional events. Tai retired from agility at age 9, but then happily explored other activities like Nosework and herding. Sadly, we lost Tai to cancer at age 13 in 2023. Here is a sampling of Tai in agility:
UKI US Open 2018 Speedstakes Rd 1
Breeze (deceased July 15, 2020): A Shetland sheepdog, Breeze was sweet, friendly, smart, biddable and an amazing athletic. He came into our family at the perfect time for me in my agility journey – so much fun, so many new friends and adventures. Breeze had a long career and basically did it all in the sport. ADCH Mach4 “Breeze” was selected for the 2010 AKC Agility World Team and the 2013 European Open AKC sponsored team and competed two other times on the US European Open Team. Breeze was a three-time AKC Nationals finalist, a four-time USDAA Grand Prix Cynosport finalist and 2-time Steeplechase Cynosport finalist and had many placements in national, regional and international classes.
Lacey (deceased Jan 11, 2016): ADCH-Silver MACH “Lacey”, LAA-Silver. Lacey was a confident and sassy girl who was my first agility dog raised from a puppy. Lacey was ranked in the Top 10 U.S. 16” division for 4 straight years in multiple classes and placed in a number of regional and national tournament competitions. Lacey earned both her ADCH-Silver and Lifetime Achievement Award-Silver, versatility titles demonstrating consistent success in all USDAA classes. Just before Lacey’s retirement, she was named the 2009 Performance Grand Prix Northeast Regional Champion and high combined individual winner in Team events.
Last updated January, 2026