First of all, I love dog stories. But only the ones where the dog doesn't die. So this book had a boost for me just because of the subject. The writing was also witty, and the chapters were short, leading to that "just one more chapter" mentality that keeps me from doing other things that I should be doing (like going to sleep). The author's love for his dog shows through, and that was nice, but I was bugged by his constant need to show us, the readers, how he really doesn't fit in with his swea...

This book is pee-your-pants funny. I mean it. The writing is clever, the story is priceless, and the situation is probably familiar to so many of us who are blessed with an oddball rescue dog and oru own ambitions. You might learn a little about the world of agility training and competition, but mostly you will be entertained and your heart will be warmed by this wonderful, wickedly funny tale about a man and his dog and the lengths we will go to in the name of loyalty, determination, and love.

Surprise ending, but I liked it!

"Least likely agility dog" brings to mind a three-legged, 14 year old deafblind basset hound. Instead, Dusty, the canine focus of this book, is a spry Sheltie. Not exactly a rarity in the agility ring. He is a rescue, and comes with some aloofness and anxiety, but that's not even the focus of the book. No, the author chooses to barely mention the training process he goes through with Dusty and instead writes about the mundane details of his- the author's-- life. Including things like: tripping,

The author successfully competed in numerous agility courses with his first border collie. Unfortunately, the dog comes to a poitn where she can no longer compete. So, the author finds an "unadoptable" border collie ("ugly" with lots of issues) and knows this is the dog for him, believing he can change the dog with lots of love and a job. The dog has other thoughts, however. This dog is difficult to train and is somewhat of an embarassment to the author as he already gained notariety with his fi...

Rob starts running Agility with his first Sheltie Carmen but when she starts having hip problems he adopts another Sheltie, a high-strung and neurotic dog, named Dusty. He starts training Dusty for Agility and this is the story of Rob and Dusty during their first year of competition. Rob is neurotic as well and so in some ways it is a good match but often they seem to acerbate each others anxiety and anti-social behaviors. When Rob seriously breaks his ankle he has to retire from Agility until

This was, beyond doubt, the only sport I'd ever seen in which one member of the winning team congratulated the other by licking his face. When my current dog entered my life, I was stunned at how easy he was to train. He was not only willing to do my bidding, he was eager! The thought of attempting dog agility competitions briefly crossed my mind. I pictured Randy leaping hurdles and weaving around posts. He would have been good at it. Unfortunately, taking part in the trials would have required...

Rodi is completely crazy, but he does get a laugh every chapter or so. This is a good read for other crazy people who entertain the idea that your dog may like to get out and run an obstacle course every day or so. Also a good book for those with short attention spans or schedules broken into short segments. You can read to a laugh and put it down on a high note every couple pages. Keeps you coming back.At the end, I was rooting for Dusty and Rodi as though they were relatives--that must be the

As the owner of two rescued Shelties, this book was especially close to my heart. My dog Lucy actually came from the Illinois Sheltie Rescue, the same place this dog came from. A wonderful quick read about what we do to our dogs thinking that they are more like us than they really are amd what we can learn once we get over that notion. The book made me want to enroll my dogs in agility classes and get another dog.

I woke up my husband. Twice. Snorting to myself, trying not to shake the bed so he'd wake up AGAIN.This is FUNNY. If you liked Marley and Me (and by that I mean the BOOK) you'll really laugh at this. It's worth getting up in the middle of the night out of your warm bed to go downstairs and sit on the sofa with the dog for.

Some good friends of mine have a Sheltie who's been a bit of an also-ran in agility competitions, so I was interested to read this memoir. It turns out to be incredibly funny, fascinating, and sweet - a real love letter to an underdog. Plus a bonus to animal lovers: this is one pet memoir where the pet does NOT die at the end!

The title of the book is somewhat misleading; Dusty, while having some challenges in competing in agility, is by no means the world's least likely agility dog. While he may be the product of poor breeding and a rescue, he is a sheltie, and from the descriptions throughout the book, seems quite competent at basic agility skills. The problem seems to lie more with the expectations of his handler, the author. We see that the author is aloof and a bit of a fish out of water when it comes to interact...

Another (dog related) book I had had high hopes for and just for some reason did not deliver. Actually, I know why this book didn't deliver. The author annoyed the HELL out of me. I pictured the protag as the (gay) guy partner on SMASH and while I like the character on tv a lot, this guy was just a high class ass. I am too high and mighty to congregate with the masses, so I'll sit in my car and eat my fancy salad. Leave the burgers and fries to the underlings. OH PAH-LEEEESE. Get off your high h...

I suspect that the people out there (in here?) who do agility because their *dog* finds it as rewarding as they do will also have to set aside the many icky, clasping-head-in-anguish moments that this book describes. This book is not a how-to-train-your-dog book in any sense, which is a huge relief. I am disappointed that during the many instances of problems catalogued here that the author didn't stop and do serious re-examination of his relationship with his dog, and then re-approach the whole...

Entertaining, humorous, touching at times, but there were a couple things I didn't like. I'm no dog trainer, but it seemed like Dusty was being pushed too much to do something he didn't really want to do. And the author's snobbishness was a bit much. Maybe he was trying to point out that both he and Dusty were fishes out of water, but sometimes it just came off as condescension.

Yes, the author is a dear friend, but I consciously kept a distance. This book is a glorious read - even if you're not a dog freak. As much of a memoir of Rodi and Dusty, it's a coming-of-age of sorts for the very-adult author. It's wonderful to see his world open up in a way he never expected.

Entertaining and delightful reading, especially for a dog person like me. Dusty is a rescue dog who challenges Rodi at every turn. Rodi also gets a bit far afield on his efforts to understand his renegade.

I learned about agility training and competitions for dogs and enjoyed the self-depreciating humor throughout. This talks about the partnership between the handler and the dog and how if the handler has baggage, the dog will know it.

Excuse my language - effing hilarious. This book is what is inspiring me to compete my novice dog this year in agility. Witty, shocking, and relatable, I have been recommending this book to all my dog-loving friends.