Paws For Agility

A Philosophy on Agility:
By Pamela Spock,

 ”Agility is like life…you have to take it one obstacle at a time”.

My name is Pamela, and I am the founder and president of Affordable Agility, Inc., one of the leading manufacturers of dog agility equipment.

When I started my company about a decade ago it rather ‘snow-balled’ into what it is now, rather than starting off as well-planned company of vision. Not to say that it didn’t have any.  Vision was birthed with frustration, particularly over trying to make backyard equipment for this crazy hobby I was caught up in! As a single woman who still holds a hammer up close near the head (the hammer’s head that is), and who is about as confident walking through the isles of a Home Depot as I would be walking the streets of India, trying to design a teeter-totter base for my dog was more than I could emotionally handle! I remember my sad attempt at building an a-frame. I used a small hinged garage sale sign and nailed carpeting on it! My Springer Spaniel either flew over it, or knocked it flat.  She was so patient with me back then. It didn’t take long for me to realize that my dog loved agility more than I even did.  And that is where the real philosophy and vision of this company comes into play. Agility is more than just a fun thing to do with your dog. If that was the sum and whole, you would get bored of it, because while your dog appears to be in his glory, you yourself are doing soul-searching. Soul-searching about what, you ask?  Well, if you’ve been involved in agility training for any length of time you have surely experienced the subtle affect that body language, tone of voice, and attitude has on your unusually sensitive dog. Anyone who has competed in agility competitions knows, for example, what happens to their dog’s confidence when you feel nervous or discouraged. Suddenly a sport that started off being fun (and still is) is also becoming a way of seeing yourself for who you really are! 

 

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