Girl Who Dreamt of Appearing on the Incredible Dog Challenge, Makes the Event as an Adult

While other kids wished to become royalty or astronauts, Rachel Sample was thinking about dominating the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge.

“I first heard about the Incredible Dog Challenge when I was just 6 years old! I loved watching Animal Planet and other animal shows on TV as a kid. One day, I saw the Incredible Dog Challenge on TV, and ever since then, I have been dog-obsessed. Particularly, the agility segment caught my eye,” Sample tells PEOPLE about how her dog sport dreams began. “I wanted to do the course just like the dogs on TV!”

The Incredible Dog Challenge (IDC) is an annual competition that showcases the athletic abilities of dogs in exciting events, including dock diving, flying disc, agility, and more. The Purina Pro Plan event, now in its 28th year, is also the subject of the new Amazon Prime docuseries, A Different Breed, which follows the extraordinary dogs and handlers who participate in the Incredible Dog Challenge.

Sample is among the handlers highlighted. Yes, the animal-obsessed little girl in Illinois, who was determined to enter the Incredible Dog Challenge, achieved her goal with the help of her dog, Flynn Rider.

Five-year-old Flynn, named after the “mischievous, handsome, and very athletic” Tangled character, is a border collie and whippet mix, a blend Sample purposefully picked when she got the dog as a puppy.

“I specifically was looking for this mix because I wanted the intelligence of the border collie along with the athletic whippet. I chose him to compete at the Incredible Dog Challenge as it was always my dream, and I knew a flashy, athletic dog like him would be a great candidate for the competition,” Sample shares.

Once Flynn reached one year old, he and Sample started competing in dog sport and agility competitions, where the pooch excels at dock diving, freestyle flying disk, and agility.

“Everything about him will turn your head, from his looks to the way he plays. He brings a level of talent and heart to any sport he plays. You won’t be able to take your eyes off him!” Sample says of her dog.

Sample has devoted endless hours to training Flynn for dog sports competitions, and has had some help from an Incredible Dog Challenge legend, Mark Faragoi, who won the IDC three years in a row with his dog Riley.

Faragoi, who lives a few towns over from Sample, helped Sample hone her handler skills and encouraged her to try out for the Incredible Dog Challenge. Thanks to her hard work and the support she received from Flynn and the human community of dog sports, Sample has started regularly participating in the Incredible Dog Challenge with Flynn.

Though the annual event or any dog sports competition barely feels like work to Flynn, according to his devoted owner.

“His favorite thing ever is to chase that frisbee. Whether it’s off the dock, off my back, or after an agility run, he loves his disc, and man, he loves to jump! I think if he could, his favorite thing would be to jump as much as he wants off the dock to get his disc all day! As long as the water isn’t too cold, of course,” Sample says.

Living her dream of competing in the Incredible Dog Challenge has been an even greater reward than Sample expected, because the competition “has opened up more doors for me than I ever would have imagined”

“It shaped the entire course of my career. I have become a dog trainer and performer by proxy. On my dog training path, I have discovered another love: fostering and rehabbing behavioral cases that desperately need help. I have fostered and placed over 200 dogs who would have otherwise ended up euthanized. Everything I do these days involves dogs, and I truly wouldn’t have it any other way,” she adds.

Along with being grateful for the guidance and clarity IDC has provided, Sample also feels indebted to Flynn for his role in her life.

“Flynn has been an incredible dog to put me on the map. He is a special dog, and I can’t do him justice. A ‘once in a lifetime’ dog, we call it,” the handler says. “He is the best partner I could ask for. Anyone who gets the honor to watch this dog perform is blessed.”

When Flynn and Sample aren’t performing in competitions, you will likely find them training or performing for a different audience.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

“We have had so many unique and incredible opportunities because of Flynn’s amazing performing ability. A few of my favorites include performing for the Vikings, the Lions, and the Buffalo Bills. NFL games are one of my favorite things because there is nothing like stepping onto a field full of thousands, all there watching your team do what they do best. The cheering is unlike anything you will ever experience,” Sample explains.

She hopes that she and Flynn can serve as inspiration to other young animal lovers, especially little kids who are curious about how to end up at the Incredible Dog Challenge.

“It has been a really long journey for me. Being diagnosed with autism as a child, I always had more obstacles than most people. It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe in yourself; keep showing up. If you’re not confident or you don’t think you’re good enough, keep trying and fake it until you make it! Because along the journey, you will find your confidence and your skill. Sample shares, adding, “It’s been a long journey to get to the Incredible Dog Challenge for me, but even with being awkward, timid, and unconfident in myself, I let my passion drive me forward.”

To see Sample and Flynn in action, and learn more about the Incredible Dog Challenge, watch A Different Breed, now available on Amazon Prime.