Dogs from all over the world have leashed up their owners and dragged them here to Scottsdale, Arizona to run, jump, catch and play! I get to watch as they proudly strut and parade their "people" to other pooches large and small at the Grand Prix of Dog Agility Champions, hosted by the US Dog Agility Association.

There are all kinds of OWNER “breeds” in attendance today: short, tall, skinny, fat, black, yellow, white, mixed, outgoing, shy, type A, type B, groomed and yes, ungroomed!

There are also Pomeranians and Great Danes; Poodles and Aussie hounds; Jack Russell Terriers and Corgies - all sniffing each other front and back. It is NOT lost on me that humans are only slightly less obvious in sizing one another up.

These dogs are amazing! Now I’m a hard-core dog lover – granted – but these dogs have more personality than some people I meet at cocktail parties. They look you in the eye, pay attention, respond and, OMG, are they ever energetic and happy! I find it hard not to imagine thought-bubbles above the dogs' heads (“Get a load of THAT piece o’ tail!”), and I can "hear" their voices. The basset hound sounding something like Rodney Dangerfield. The Westie like Ewan McGregor, and the King Charles’ Spaniels like something out of “Lady and the Tramp.”

Of course, there’s that whole "dogs look like their owners" thing going on: a little blonde, highlighted Yorkie "Fifi" with a matching coiffed and frosted blonde at the human end of the leash. The obligatory scruffy looking unidentifiable hound with a similarly scruffy guy in a cowboy hat. And a championship black great dane, with an equally statuesque woman dressed in all black, sleek stretch pants. There ARE delightful exceptions: Who would easily match the itty-bitty, uber-skippy Chihuahua mix in the tiny blue vest, with the sedentary-looking older woman who is the poster child for low energy?!

And then, I AM SO BUSTED, because there I stand in my black and white jacket, with Holly, a black and white dog!

The madness begins: dogs blaze through the agility courses, play flyball, catch Frisbees, and more! (One owner learned how to throw a Frisbee with BOTH her left and right hands, because her arms would give out long before her dog wanted to stop!) Weave poles, tunnels, seesaws and tire jumps – THIS is puppy camp, recess, treats and a belly rub all rolled into one tail-waggin’ day! These dogs are having a BLAST with their handlers! There is no scolding, no leash-yanking – nothing that could ruin the fun of the sport. Best of all, the handlers never blame the dogs. Nope. The handlers always hold themselves accountable. (Lessons everywhere!)

There are time trials, contact obstacles, hurdles and A-frames, and every course has tricky direction changes and tight turns. The key to a good run seems to be LOTS of practice (“play” in doggie lingo) combined with near-psychic communication between dog and handler that rivals a Vulcan mind-meld! Non-verbals play a bigger role than verbal commands (sound familiar?!) and the posture, stance and gestures of the handler must be very consistent, since a wide turn can cost 1/10th of a second. These canine companions are literally following their handler’s every nuance as they fly through the obstacle course.

I am lucky enough to run a course with Whimsy, another Border Collie, and boy, she’s makin’ me look good! She tolerated my amateur moves like a real pro. One of the coolest things she did was to stop on a dime after dashing over an A-frame: the judges look to make sure she holds both feet on the yellow part. (Hey, aren’t dogs color blind? No fair!)

One of the endearing parts of dog agility with the USDAA is that many of the dogs competing are rescue dogs. They don’t care if you’re registered, AKC, purebred or Heinz 57. They just want DOGS to come and have fun with their owners. How great is that? Holly, the beautiful Border Collie I hung around with, had been in a house fire and was rescued from a shelter by Laurel, a doggie Foster Mom. (It’s a great story: http://playfulpooches.com/holly.htm ) Laurel is a database analyst by day, and a dog agility fanatic by night/weekend. She LIVES to be with her dogs, and uses dog agility as both fun for the dogs AND a social outlet for herself. She actually started Holly-the-Collie in dog agility to get Holly over her shyness! (I do NOT make this stuff up!)

And did I mention the whole marketing angle of doggie products?! The doggie vendors are out in droves: dog bone shaped hair barrettes (for humans!), special booties for the puppies allergic to grass, and foo-foo dog accessories that redefine the term “niche marketing.” There’s Fine Bastard Ale, Bark Avenue Pet Resort, Doggone Good Bottled Water, Creature Feature Pet Sitters, pet EVERYTHING...except pet poop! There isn't any - anywhere! The grounds at this event are immaculate. I can say with good authority that the people using Port-a-Potties aren’t nearly as neat as their dogs.

So, the pet parades are done, the treat bags are nearly empty and the owners are packing up the RVs. What sticks with me? Other than the dog hair, dog slobber and yowie eye goobers?!

• Take time to play!
• Even though it requires discipline and practice, it can be fun
• Be happy now. It’s nice to get treats and a hug for a job well done
• The little things count.
• And finally: Get along! If Brutus, A-Jill-ity, Kramer and Whimsy can do it, so can we.