Dogs Put Best Paws Forward in Agility Contest

For an abandoned dog that escaped a death sentence, jumping through hoops might seem a bit trivial. Plus, this sheltie is also a TV star.

Flex was one of 400 dogs competing in a “doggie Olympics” in Simi Valley on Sunday, climbing walls, walking teeter-totters and jumping over hurdles in hopes of moving fast enough to qualify for the world agility championships.

But Flex, coming off a “Dateline NBC” appearance Friday, wasn’t much into breaking a sweat. She gained fame in a recent Nissan commercial, pushing a lazy master in a recliner down a steep city street until it comes to rest in front of a automotive showroom. The “Dateline” segment showed how Flex was trained and how the intricate commercial was shot.

“She could have been a little more awake,” said Flex’s owner and trainer, Karen Moureaux, critiquing the 3-year-old’s competition performance. Moureaux rescued Flex in 1996 from the county animal shelter in Agoura Hills.

Dog owners from Southern California and neighboring states brought their border collies, basset hounds and Irish water spaniels to compete in the event sanctioned by the American Kennel Club.

“This is serious stuff,” said Sharon Anderson, a field director for the national organization. “People invest a lot of time and money to qualify their dogs at a licensed event.”

Anderson said the club is picking eight dogs throughout the United States to attend the world championships in Slovenia in southeastern Europe. There are nearly 500 trials like Simi Valley’s staged throughout the year, she said.

“The serious people want to get their titles,” said Sam Neftin, president of the local Shetland sheep dog club, which hosted the two-day Simi Valley trials. “But most of the people here are just having fun with their dogs.”

Elaine Garvey came from Van Nuys with her pug, Oliver.

“Ollie, you’ve got to run fast,” she whispered in his ear while scratching his neck and placing him on the starting line.

The owners run alongside their dogs, directing them through the obstacles. Garvey coached 5-year-old Ollie as he ran through a tunnel.

The pug, breathing heavily, tentatively approached a hurdle and stopped to lick his nose. “It’s a big one,” Garvey said as Ollie cleared the bar. “Good boy!”

By the end of the course, Garvey was as much out of breath as Ollie.

“He just has to run, I have to cheerlead, too,” she explained. Though Oliver did his best, his time wasn’t fast enough to qualify for dogs his size.

Joyce Taylor of Simi Valley ran with Cringely, her 2-year-old Portuguese water dog.

Cringely handled his jumps well Sunday. But no matter how much the dog trains, it’s no guarantee of a flawless race.

“Sometimes you get nervous at the starting line, because you don’t know what your dog’s going to do,” Taylor said. “Maybe they’ll pay attention, or else just want to go play with the other dogs and sniff.”