If it weren't for those Nova Scotia duck tolling retrievers, Rosie would be the queen of agility class

There are two tollers in the agility class--an eight-month-old puppy named Neko, and Riley's friend Cinder, who is now three. They are both amazing, flying through the agility course, fearlessly leaping through tires and running up that four-foot-high dog walk, and leaping onto the table, where they sit nicely for the count of four and then leap off again, over the barricades and through the tunnels. Neko, it must be said, is more amazing than Cinder--Wednesday night, when we each ran the course, one at a time, Neko smoked everyone. Our teacher said that she was one of maybe only two or three dogs that she has ever seen in nearly 20 years who are such naturals.  And Cinder wasn't far behind.

Pretty far behind both of them--truthfully, way far behind--was little Rosie, who spent a lot of time sniffing the ground, searching out lost treats from other dogs. Still, she did well, and I was proud of her--she went up the teeter totter, and through the tunnels, and even up the big A-frame and down the other side.

She would not, however, go up that dog walk. Jumped off it every time after about six inches.  But that's OK. She'll get it--or not. It's all for fun, anyway.

It was interesting watching the other dogs. Rosie actually would probably be Queen of the Class if it weren't for those genius tollers. The big German shepherd didn't like anything that was off the ground--that included the A-frame, the dogwalk, and the teeter totter.  The little short-legged weiner dog did just about everything, but he did it so slowly that there was no momentum (and he couldn't get up the A frame, because you need a running start).

We were there well over an hour, first practicing as a group, which was noisy and kind of stressful and confusing, and then running the course one at a time, twice. I know that the reason I signed up for this class was to wear our Rosie, but I have to tell you that only one of us was sweating and exhausted at the end, and it wasn't her.

The picture is from about five minutes ago.  She looks sweet, but don't let that fool you. She has already jumped Riley, stolen his spot under the table, ripped out my bee balm, and barked at the neighbor dog. And it's not even 9 a.m.