From Found in a Box to Standing on a Box
Jessica Ibarra and Oliver's story
This article was originally published in the December 2025 OVERview digital magazine.
When Jessica Ibarra and Oliver trotted across the main ring to claim the second-place podium in 8”P Grand Prix® at Cynosport® 2025, it was the culmination of a journey begun under humble circumstances.
In 2017, Jessica and her husband, Christian, had spent almost a year visiting shelters and working with rescue organizations, looking for a dog to adopt. They just couldn’t find a canine companion who fit their household.
Then one Friday, Jessica stopped by Garland Animal Services in Garland, Texas, where shelter employees had arrived that morning to discover a small dog in a box on their doorstep. Jessica texted photos to her husband and was soon filling out adoption paperwork. After a nerve-wracking week of waiting to see if anyone claimed the 6- or 7-week-old pup, Jessica and Christian brought Oliver home.
“The first thing he got was a bath,” said Jessica. “My mom and I spent an hour trying to get all the fleas off!
“I’d always had dogs growing up,” she continued, “but Oliver was the first dog I ever got to pick out, raise and train. I started early on doing basic manners classes and taking him to dog-friendly places. Then one day when Oliver was about a year-and-a-half old, I took him to a dog park. He was zooming around, and someone said to me, ‘He’s fast. You should check out agility with him.’ When I asked her what that was, she said a local club had done a demonstration at the dog park’s grand opening, and it involved dogs running fast.”
So Jessica and Oliver began taking Foundations of Agility classes with Rachel Pearson at What a Great Dog! in Richardson, Texas.
“I fell in love with everything about agility,” said Jessica. “The relationship-building with my pup, the behavioral science around the training, the challenges of the courses — and I’ve been hooked ever since!”
After a few months, Rachel encouraged Jessica to volunteer at a local agility trial to get a feel for it and to learn more about the sport. “Volunteering really is the best way to learn about agility,” Jessica said.
In September 2019, Jessica and Oliver stepped to the line at their first trial. However, Oliver presented challenges. “Being a Chihuahua/Cocker Spaniel/Dachshund mix, Oliver is not your typical agility dog,” said Jessica, adding, “He is WAY more food motivated than toy motivated. I think he does agility for the love of meatballs!”
Although smart, Oliver also proved to have a low boredom threshold. “Sometimes he feels like running; sometimes he doesn’t,” said Jessica. “I never know what Oliver I’m going to get when we step to the line. His unpredictability keeps me humble and very appreciative when he chooses to play the game with me.”
Jessica’s first
exposure to a national event came when she watched via 4Legged Flix’s livestream as her trainer, Rachel, competed at Cynosport 2019. Said Jessica, “Following along while Rachel won BiathlonSM, Steeplechase® and a spot on the world team, celebrating my friend and coach from nearly 700 miles away, that’s when I knew I wanted to attend a national event someday.”
Then COVID hit, and everything shut down. But Jessica and Oliver continued training; when Cynosport resumed in 2021, they were ready.
One tournament Q was required to qualify. “Although we were still in Starters, Oliver and I miraculously earned a Grand Prix® Q right before the eligibility period ended,” said Jessica, “which got us our ticket to play.
“The vibe at our first Cynosport — being at a national event with people from across the country, hanging out with friends and cheering them on — was awesome,” she added. "So we returned to play agility on the big stage in 2023 and again this year.”
At Cynosport 2025, Oliver handled the ambiance like a seasoned veteran. “In the past he’s had some ring stress behavior where he doesn’t want to take the first couple of jumps,” Jessica said. “Once he does, he finds his normal pace and flies through courses happily. We changed our prerun routine earlier this year, and he’s been showing real improvement in opting to play with me.
“He was enthusiastic every time,” she continued. “Oliver loves running on dirt and in cooler weather; he had a blast. He did exactly what I asked. I made some handling mistakes that sent him off course, but we had our post-run meatball parties, so Oliver was super happy.”
Having earned byes at USDAA’s South Central and North Central Regional Championships, Jessica and Oliver went straight to Grand Prix Finals at Cynosport. Jessica said, “I was excited to know I had a finalist shirt and ribbon waiting for me no matter what.”
As for their finals run, Jessica said, “When Oliver took off for the first jump with enthusiasm, knowing he wasn’t having ring stress made my heart so happy. Everything we did beyond that was icing on the cake. Just making it through the course without E’ing was a big accomplishment for us!”
Not only did the duo not E, they ended up in second place. Said Jessica, “Once I made it to the podium, I didn’t know what to do with Oliver, the medal or the ribbon. My awkwardness was pretty funny. I was blessed to have some close friends on the sidelines. Thankfulness for their presence and celebrating together is the feeling I most remember.”
What’s next for this talented team? Nowadays, they train with Rachel Pearson of Strategic Dog Sports/Topo Dogs, Meagan Johnson of RAD Dogs, and Jody Lolich, as well as getting online coaching via Bad Dog Agility’s VIP Program.
“I plan to keep playing agility with Oliver as long as he’s willing,” said Jessica, “and I’d be thrilled to make it to another finals round at a national event someday. Oliver is a great travel buddy, and I have some fun agility-related trips planned for us.”