University of Georgia student Bailey McNeir's dog Apollo, a two-year-old Belgian Malinois, placed sixth in the large-breed category of the 2022 Fastest Dogs USA invitational competition. (Courtesy/Bailey McNeir)
Apollo, a two-year-old Belgian Malinois from Mississippi, has had the most remarkable underdog story. He went from flunking out of police dog training to becoming one of the fastest dogs in the country, a certified service dog, and a heartthrob around the University of Georgia's campus.
Apollo comes from a long line of successful working dogs. His grandmother was a mine detection dog, and his grandfather starred in the 2015 movie "Max."
Apollo had quite large shoes to fill.
Bailey McNeir is a senior at UGA and a human development and family sciences major. After spotting him on a dog rehoming page, she adopted Apollo in the spring of 2021.
"He was originally a bomb detection dog, and then they failed him prematurely. He was 6 months old and you usually can't tell a dog's drive until they're older. The funny thing is they said he was lazy," McNeir said.
Kat Chaffin is the president of the Culinary Kitchen of Athens, where McNeir is employed as a Federal Work-Study student. Chaffin met Apollo in the summer of 2021 when McNeir started working at the Culinary Kitchen of Athens.
"I was extremely surprised when Bailey told me he didn't make it as a police dog. He's the loving, sweet dog that ultimately you want your dog to be trained like," Chaffin said.
Apollo's potential was obvious from the very beginning. Apollo and McNeir seemed determined to prove everyone wrong.
McNeir began doing lure coursing with Apollo to keep him in shape. This is when a dog chases a mechanized, white lure across a 100-yard-long course.
"He was actually really bad at it at first. He would just run to me and not look at the lure at all. But after the second day of doing it, he started to understand," McNeir said.
Eventually, McNeir began entering Apollo into competitions to showcase his speed.
"We went to three events before he started to get up there. He started out in 35th place, then went to 25th, then fifth, and now he's No. 1 [for his breed]. Then, we got invited to Fastest Dog which was really surprising," McNeir said.
Fastest Dogs USA is an invitation-only competition, produced by the American Kennel Club and ESPN, that showcases the fastest dogs in the country. The top dog from the 14 fastest breeds is invited, plus the winner from the previous year. Each dog runs a 100-yard dash, called a Fast Coursing Ability Test, twice. In a Fast CAT, dogs run individually, chasing a lure.
Apollo competed in this year's Fastest Dogs USA competition, produced by the AKC and ESPN on Sept. 16 in Kannapolis, North Carolina. The competition aired on ABC on Sept. 25.
"He reached top speeds of 31.98 and 32.1 mph. He is 6th in large breed dogs. For the Belgian Malinois breed, Apollo is ranked as the No. 1 fastest dog in the AKC for 2022," McNeir said.
Apollo has not only made a name for himself, but he has also found himself impacting the lives around UGA's campus as a full-time service dog.
"He goes everywhere with me, he's my partner in crime. He goes with me to class, the grocery store, and on dates. The bus drivers and the people working in Bolton [Dining Commons] all know him. The guy who works at the wok station always used to give Apollo some chicken whenever we came by," McNeir said.
Apollo's training as a service dog began when he was only 5 months old.
"He was 5 months old when he learned how to alert for PTSD, and he was 7 months when he picked up the cardiac alert. He just recently started mobility work. He does guide work, but I didn't train him to do that. He just kind of does it naturally," McNeir said.
Though Apollo's achievements are incredible, at the end of the day, he is just like every other dog.
"He loves pup cups from Starbucks and wears a pink and brown Louis Vuitton harness. He wakes me up every morning by pulling the covers off me," McNeir said.
Chaffin has an 11-year-old daughter, a 4-year-old nephew and a 1-year-old niece that have all come to love Apollo.
"I felt completely comfortable with Apollo being around them. To feel comfortable with an animal being around a child that young … always says a lot about the animal," Chaffin said.
Apollo's future looks just as bright as his many past accomplishments.
"I want to get him back into detective work, and I plan on doing agility and competitive obedience. I would also love to try ring sports, which is like competitive tracking," McNeir said.
Apollo will also be competing in Hull, Georgia, in November with hopes of receiving an invitation to the FastCAT nationals.
Apollo has proved himself over and over again to be one of the fastest dogs in the country, as well as one of the most talented dogs in Athens.
Dog of all trades: UGA student's service dog ranks as one of the fastest in US
Apollo, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois from Mississippi, has had the most remarkable underdog story. He went from flunking out of police dog training to becoming one of the fastest dogs
