I am writing this to let you know what my dog does for me.

I have had CMT since I was about 12 years old and wasn't diagnosed until my early 20's. I am now 37 years old. I have owned dogs most of my life.

I got a Bichon Frise puppy about three years ago. My wife and I named the dog Shemi. I started training Shemi in obedience with a community group here in Arizona. Shemi was giving us some problems in our home and needed some obedience training. My trainer taught us in the class that owners needed training more than the dogs. Once the owners know how to train and correct dogs, then the dogs can be trained.

Once I learned how to train Shemi, I almost never missed a class! I really enjoyed it. After my second class, my trainer mentioned dog agility classes to those who were interested. I called a dog agility club here in town called the Jumping Chollas Agility Club. I really had no idea what I was getting into.

I enrolled in the beginner's class and have been addicted to dog agility ever since. Dog agility is where dogs jump over hurdles, walk across seesaws, go up A-frames that are over five feet tall, across 20 foot dog walks, and through tunnels. You are timed and it is you and your dog working as a team to complete a dog agility course. Speed and accuracy are key to completing an agility course. I quickly realized that agility is much more fun than obedience training. I joined the Jumping Chollas Agility Club. I have made new friends and enjoy being with them in classes.

I have been training in agility with Shemi for just over a year now. My wife and I have gotten two more Bichon Frises. I have also started training them. Shemi and I had our first competition in Tucson last September. We won six first place ribbons and had three qualifications towards a title at the beginners level. Once you have a certain number of qualifications, you can move up to the intermediate level and on to the advanced level. Wecompete almost every weekend. As a result, the house is a little dirtier.

I enjoy it tremendously and do not get depressed or think about my CMT much anymore. I don't trip over my feet running a course because my adrenaline keeps me from doing that. I don't really know why I don't trip but I am not worried about it.