Certain dogs must be made of popping corn. As they bounce and spring themselves higher and higher I can't help but visualize microscopic kernels of Orville Redenbacher exploding in their muscle fibers. It's all very meditative until one of the kernels kisses me on the lips or lands in my lap as I sip hot coffee.

I have such a popcorn dog. Indeed for the first weeks after her adoption from Paws4Ever (then the Animal Protection Society of Orange County) I grew tired of apologizing to every stranger we passed on our daily walks. My running buddies became equally annoyed at the need for protective undergarments. Until, we finally started dog- training classes. Thanks to some refreshingly humane local trainers, we learned a simple strategy for correcting almost any problem behavior: give your dog an alternative, give your dog an outlet. The alternative? Train the dog to touch their nose to a stranger's hand. The outlet? Let the dog jump on the agility field. The transformation? A crazy dog becomes a canine athlete; and "I'm sorry" becomes "I'm proud".

There are few things as compelling as watching dogs and their owners work as teammates negotiating a maze of jumps, tunnels, and angled structures. But often the beauty is in the back-story -- many competitors in agility and other dog sports like FlyBall, Disc, Lure Coursing and Freestyle were at one time rejected, abandoned because they had too much energy or neglected out of ignorance or cruelty. Today as they sprint and leap and move in unison with their handlers, it is hard to see anything but joy in these dogs.

This fall is a great time to watch the Triangle's agility dogs in action. Competitions and ongoing classes are being offered at several training facilities. On Saturday, Nov. 7, as part of its Walk for Animal Protection, Paws4Ever is offering an agility exhibition with performances by some of its rescued dogs. For more information about the Walk for Animal Protection you can visit www.paws4ever.org. In the mean time, when your dogs jump on you, they may really be asking you to sign them up for a sport.

Eric W. Fish