Agility Provides Benefits into Dogs' Senior Years

Strong connections help rescues Annie and Sienna thrive.

This article was originally published in the August 2025 OVERview digital magazine.

Rescue dog stories offer some of the best examples of how agility benefits canines and humans. These dogs often require time to adjust or overcome past trauma on their journey to becoming loyal and affectionate companions. With the right care and attention, these two rescues found deep, lasting bonds with their handlers and a love for agility.

Annie overcame an unknown past.

When Annie was rescued as a skinny, flea-infested 4-month-old puppy, it wasn’t clear what would become of her. Her tail had been docked, and she was fearful of larger, barking dogs, leading her rescuers to believe she was going to be used as bait for dog fighting. 

Debby Botts Hoeflich, who lives in California, wasn’t necessarily in the market for a third dog, but once she came across the puppy up for adoption through a friend, brought her home to meet her other two dogs and saw how well Annie blended into their pack, the rest was history.

“We adopted her a week later,” said Debby. “She was so sweet and would hug you when she was held.”

As a rescue dog with an unknown past, Annie posed some challenges during training; Debby had to adjust and figure out the best way to break through to her new dog. To help Annie get over her fear of other loud dogs, Debby started desensitization training by bringing her to agility trials with older dogs to help her feel safe and comfortable. Debby also made sure to bring Annie to as many puppy classes as she could to get her socialized, which is where she first saw Annie’s natural abilities and love for learning.

Debby started Annie the same way she had trained her Labrador Retriever and Chihuahua, but quickly realized it wasn’t going well. After realizing how fast Annie was and that she needed a different method, Debby enlisted the help of a trainer who worked with Border Collies and taught the pair new techniques to take them to the next level in agility.

“She needed a little more information from me, and I learned she was much more body-sensitive than my other two dogs,” said Debby. “Training Annie in agility gave her such amazing confidence, and she has excelled at everything I have taught her.”

Annie has gone on to earn a Trick Dog Elite title, competes in nose work and loves dock diving. Despite her rough beginning, she loves her humans and all her activities, making her a dog of many talents.

Now 9 ½ years old, Annie shows no signs of slowing down. Despite her rough beginning, Annie excels as a Certified Therapy Dog, always entertaining as she goes. After a therapy session, Annie likes to wind down with her favorite activity of all: skateboarding.

“I am always amazed by her talent; we were so lucky to adopt this baby and watch her grow,” said Debby. “She has taught me how to be a better handler and doggy mom.”

Sienna builds a connection.

Michelle Gideon Gulseth adopted Sienna, a Vizsla and Weimaraner mix, in 2011 from Big Dog Ranch Rescue in South Florida when she was approximately 9 weeks old. After completing various puppy obedience classes, she knew her very active, energetic dog needed something more than daily walks and Frisbee in the pack. They started taking agility classes at Tailwaggers Learning Center following a friend’s recommendation and quickly fell in love with the sport.

“Sienna and I loved learning, being active together and building a wonderful bond training and competing,” said Michelle. “Agility helped Sienna focus her endless energy and overall need to stay busy by using her body and mind. I’d come home from work, and off we’d go to class or to the park to practice. Taking classes guaranteed I had a happy, tired dog while I was at work, and agility built a beautiful connection between us as we spent quality time together training, traveling and competing.

“My advice to anyone wanting to train their rescue dog is to find good instructors who will start you off right – learning the basic foundations to build body awareness and confidence in your dog before moving on to the equipment,” she added. “Tailwaggers made it easy for us to train, guiding us through the coursework we needed, from foundation and conditioning classes to jumping, contacts, etc. Don’t rush the process and have fun together!”

Sienna went on to earn her PDCH, competed at Cynosport^® in Scottsdale in 2016, and took first place in the Veterans All-Around at the Wild West Regional in 2020. Now at age 14, she enjoys her well-deserved retirement in Arizona.