For years all I ever had to utter, under my breath, was the word "walk" to get my dogs up and rolling toward the door. Some of my dogs have been so eager to hear the word, that an accidental mention of the "W" word would send them spinning and yelping through the house. Not so with Tag.

The word "walk" seems to hold no charm for him at all. Don't get me wrong, he loves to get out of the house and is eager to see his leash...so eager that on occasion he's found it and brought it to me himself. The two weeks he was convalescing from a high jump out of the bed of my truck followed immediately by his neuter had him absolutely stir crazy from an enforced sedentary lifestyle. It's just the *word* that he doesn't care for.

Today, I found out what Tag wants. Tag wants a job. That's right...my not-quite-7-month-old pup is more eager to hit the pavement than my 17 year old son. He craves having a purpose and is diligently on the hunt every minute of the day for an occupation that will leave him a worn out puddle at days end. All I said was, "Tag? Wanna go to work?"

That was the phrase he's been waiting for all his short life! The ears, already at constant attention, became like flags. Those ever-focused eyes became searing lasers. Every muscle in his tiny little body strained and his (nonexistant) tail flew to attention. "WORK! YES!" It was as if he knew what that word meant and he'd been waiting all this time for me to get it through my thick skull that he was a 'working dog', not some pampered lap pooch who wanted bon-bons and bows.

I put in an email to our local agility club and got a quick response inviting us to come check it out tonight. But before that, we took an hour long trip over to the park to *work*...not walk. Sit, down, come, settle, speak, stay, 'high five', down stay, roll over, play dead, on leash, dropped leash, meet people, meet dogs....work. Tonight he got his first look at an agility course and was fairly indifferent, until...until that first dog hit the first obstacle. There were the flagged ears, laser eyes and tensed muscles again. "Oooh! Didja see that, Mom?! Lemme at it, oh let me at it, please!"

This little guy inspires me... I never expected those tiny legs, little nose and missing tail to set such a fire in me. As he warms the couch less than a foot from me now, I see that my old love....writing...is being brought back to life by my new love, Tag.