Three-Dog Team Champs Showcase Cynosport Camaraderie
Partnership, friendship and support are keys to team success.
This article was originally published in the December 2025 OVERview digital magazine.
Of everyone who competed at the 2025 Cynosport® Dog Agility World Games Presented by Purina® Pro Plan®, the three-dog team “Fabio’s Flirting With Fire” was certainly doing that as team members Brenda Kelly, Emily Walker and Eleonora “Ela” Zalo blazed to top honors with their dogs Ember, Flirt and D’Artagnan.
Their championship performance was a showcase not only of the partnership between dog and handler but also of the friendship and support that a team event can bring to all members. Read on to learn more about each of these talented teams. (For a full list of Cynosport champions, click here.)
Brenda Kelly and Ember
Brenda, of Flower Mound, Texas, became involved in agility in 2008 after a long history in equestrian sports and started teaching classes in 2012. She has had four dogs in that time, all of whom were World Team members and some of whom brought home Cynosport championship titles. Her current partner, Ember, is a 4-year-old BorderPap bred by Catherine Laria of Whirlwind Border Collies. Among their outings this year, the duo competed in the 2025 IFCS World Agility Championship in Switzerland.
Brenda Kelly and Ember (Great Dane Photos)
“I have been participating in Cynosport for many years now, and team is always one of the best tournaments because it promotes so much camaraderie and has the added pressure of wanting to do well for your teammates,” Brenda said. “Emily and Ela are my good friends and students, and we thought it would be fun to team together with all our ‘kids.’ It was fun to collaborate on our team name and the design of our shirts.
“I think it’s important to approach this tournament with a positive attitude and try to be very supportive of your teammates,” she continued. “There are so many variables involved; we always try to do our best, fight hard to stay in it and get points on the board. It turned out pretty well, I’d say! I’m very proud of our team this year and that we were able to come out on top.”
Emily Walker and Flirt
Emily, of Sanger, Texas, has been training in the sport since 2013; she celebrated her 12th birthday at her first agility competition. She met her now-6-year-old Miniature Poodle, Flirt, in October 2019 while visiting Estelle Kapsner of Safranne Miniature Poodles, and the puppy came home with her in January 2020. Flirt and her older half-sister, Lyra, are Emily’s foundation dams for her breeding program, IndigoStar Miniature Poodles.
Emily Walker and Flirt
“I am a ‘go big or go home’ person,” Emily said. “When I go to events, I want to do as much as my dogs and I can do. More runs equal more thrills, opportunities, experience and memories. This was my first Cynosport, and I’m really glad that I joined teams with both Lyra and Flirt!
“I wouldn’t necessarily say that I felt more pressure being on a team, but I certainly felt a big motivation to be the best teammate I could,” she continued. “My friends and I who made up Flirt’s three-dog team share similar mindsets — a passion to win with the understanding that agility is a game and no human or dog is perfect. Brenda is my trainer, and Ela is a classmate, so I truly believe that connection helped us take the top spot this year!”
Ela Zalo and D’Artagnan
After nine years of partnership in the ring, Ela, of Dallas, Texas, considered entering her Pyrenean Shepherd, D’Artagnan, in Veterans this year. In the end, she decided to enjoy the Performance level one more time alongside Brenda and Emily.
D’Artagnan (Great Dane Photos)
“Doing team, I put much more pressure on myself, feeling that I needed to do well for my teammates,” Ela said. “I usually don’t like to do team events, but after spending time with Brenda and Emily in class and having their support and friendship, I thought it could be fun to do with them. Things turned out pretty well, I think!”
Beyond their many successes with USDAA over the years, Ela and D’Artagnan volunteer regularly for the Children’s Hospital and Scottish Rite in Dallas under the Pet Partners therapy program.