Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/05/14/unadoptable-shelter-mutt-competes-in-westminster-agility-competition.html
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I watched him compete. I still wonder how they do what they do. Another reason to adopt not buy.
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All of obtained dogs have been adopted. One a black lab suffered from BBD syndrome and spent over a year in the shelter before my wife saw him featured as a “Pet of the Week” on the local news. I wouldn’t trade a day with him for anything.
Here’s the current goofball a mastiff-shepherd mix rescued from a mill in Georgia.
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My difficult to train rescue mini Australian Shepherd/Pit Bill mix was originally named Miles before I renamed him Shadow. He would probably be great at agility competitions if I were remotely qualified to train him at that.
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But can he match the absolute legend that is Zeus?
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Zeus was wonderful! BUT…that A-frame needs to be far better stabilized.
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I’m impressed he got over the jumps. None of the mastiffs I’ve known had any jump at all.
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My mix has enough to get her front feet in the car. Then she looks at me saying, “OK, now you lift my butt.”
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When I’m feeling down, watching agility competitions is a surefire way to feel better. There’s something about watching happy dogs, the way the joy shows all over their bodies, running around like goofs just knocks me out.
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They no longer use the collapsed tunnel but they did at one of the first agility matches I went to. There was a Dachshund who went into the tunnel and I swear everybody in the arena held our collective breath watching this little lump move around under the fabric for what seemed like an hour. Then when the dog finally emerged we all jumped up and cheered.
If you can please come to a live match! There’s always a need for people to help out or just cheer. And you’ll get to see things you usually don’t see in recorded competitions, like the “stupid handler dance”. 
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Agreed. Wiping a small bit of spit from my laptop screen right now.
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I hope he remains completely ungovernable otherwise.
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I was waiting to see his pace through the “wiggle-wiggle-wiggle” uprights, and Zeus did NOT disappoint!! 
To ALL dogs…
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Justice for Cricket!
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Did you decide you like edgy anthropomorphic hedgehogs more than best friend anthropomorphic foxes?
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I…don’t understand either reference lol.
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Ah. The actual reason I renamed him Shadow was because (a) he didn’t seem like a Miles to me, and (b) he wouldn’t leave my side the first few weeks we had him. He was my shadow…so that became his name.
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You’d think dachshunds, being bred to literally follow badgers into their tunnels, would be especially good at that exercise
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