It's a Wonderful Life! — The Agility Chronicles

Clarence: You've been given a great gift.

And I have been given such a gift: the gift of experiencing life through the eyes of a puppy. Wonder abounds from the instant their little roly poly selves open their eyes. Staggering around like drunk little old men, they explore their worlds with unbridled curiosity, and they revel in each second of playtime.

Some puppies are shy, soft, and sensitive (See: Henry). Others teem with exuberance, bursting with eagerness to excel in anything and everything they do. At eight months old, Gus approaches life with the same zest as he did when we first met him at nine weeks old.

We knew from the start that Gus was our perpetually happy boy. The yin to Henry's yang, Gus is a never ending parade of rainbows and ponies and sunshine with a penchant for sock-smuggling. He makes every moment exciting. No matter what he's doing, it seems as if he is always in the middle of his very own party, whether he's learning something new in class or helping me to greet every day with a million happy Sheltie boy kisses. And he does this almost compulsively, seemingly shouting, "Good morning, world! It's going to be a great day!" before hurling kiss after kiss after kiss at our early morning bleary-eyed faces. Sometimes, I call him "bombproof," but he is my rock. I don't worry about him. Capable of being fiercely independent (give him a bouncy ball and he'll entertain himself for hours -- or until the ball resigns, erm...deflates exhaling the word "uncle"), Gus will always choose to cuddle with his mamas, opting for attention and affection.

The Yin and the Yang play with their stuffed turtle.

Currently enrolled in a "Foundations for Agility" class at My K9 Buddy, Gus makes the art of learning agility look easy. This comes as no surprise as Gus earned his Novice Trick Dog title in record time.

Gus was one of the youngest dogs to earn his Novice Trick Dog title from instructor Diane Sammarco at Pet Experts Professional Pet Services.

Whatever we ask of him, he does without hesitation. His only achilles heel would be a fear of heights, but we are working to overcome this obstacle. We think we're headed in the right direction because recently he's demonstrated that he can, in fact, hoist his little boxy body onto the sofa and that he can jump back off of it with ease. Of course, these jumping endeavors usually are commingled into the game of "chase."

Working on our "drive."

Gus has given us a glimpse of where we're headed in the world of agility, and we cannot help but to feel a sense of accomplishment already. The "willingest" of willing partners eclipses any frustrations we might find, as with Gus, mistakes bestow laughter. That's not to say that we don't enjoy playing agility with Henry, because I wouldn't trade him for the world. It's just that, with Gus, the mental chess match of this sport fades significantly. He allows us to escape into the fun of game. With Gus, small victories seem easy, and each tiny moment strung together over a period of months portends the big achievements that may come. More importantly, Gus is our "reality check." His gift to us is the reminder that agility really is about something simple: the countless smiles elicited through playtime with our best friends.

Working the channel weaves (with wires).

Baby steps...literally...as we acquaint Gus with the teeter.