The oldest—and possibly smallest—competitor at this year’s AKC Agility Premier Cup is Papillon “Focus” (Road’s End Hocus Focus), who turns 12 years old this August. However, this special little dog won’t let his age or size hold him back. He continues to adore the big events, and this is, no doubt, in large part due to his powerful, positive partnership with owner-handler Brenda Kautz.
Kautz is devoted to Focus and the other dogs she shares her home with. They’ve clearly brought her immense joy and fortitude after a devastating loss.
A Household of Healing Hounds
Kautz was always a dog lover, but when her husband passed tragically early in 2001, this passion came with a new purpose—helping to heal her heart. Kautz had a Springer Spaniel, but she passed away the year before her husband did. She knew she needed a dog in the house again and started with German Shepherds.
The addition of the little dogs came about because Kautz had a male who was a bully with large-breed puppies. “I turned to Papillons because, in the brief encounters I had with them, they were very confident, precocious, and not fearful as some small dogs can be,” she says. Kautz now has nine Papillons (including Focus), as well as two German Shepherds, two Pomeranians, and two cats — who all get along fantastically.
She says she’s incredibly grateful for her dogs and the unconditional love and acceptance they offer. Before her retirement in 2020, Kautz worked in law enforcement and, while she enjoyed her job, it could be stressful. But she always had her dogs to come home to after a long day on the job. “No matter how hard your day was, they were always happy to see you,” she explains.
A Chance Meeting Starts the Agility Journey
In 2008, Kautz struck up a conversation about dogs with a manager in a Hallmark store. She recommended that Kautz try out agility to help one of her more fearful dogs develop confidence and gave her a business card for where she trained.
Kautz was unsure if it would be helpful, so the card initially sat in her purse. It wasn’t until a year later, when she got another very confident Papillon puppy, that she pulled the card out again. Eventually, her fearful rescue dog also got involved in agility. “She got seven MACHs [Master Agility Championships] and really came out of her shell—it was a great experience for her,” Kautz says. Plus, that store manager remains a friend to this day. “Thanks to her, my dogs have a joyful purpose, and we have a thing to do as a team.”
An Unexpected But Welcome Addition
In 2012, Kautz was traveling to Portland to bring home a 6-month-old Papillon from a breeder from whom she already had a female. “When I went to get him, here’s this little cotton ball with a head, and that was Focus.” Kautz was immediately smitten. He was 9 weeks old, and because the breeder knew what a wonderful home he would get, Kautz added two more dogs to her family that day. “My brother looked at me and said, ‘You’ve lost your mind.'” But for Kautz, it was definitely the right decision. Focus is a special dog with a natural propensity and love for agility. She says he’s always the same—excited and happy—and brings joy to everything he does.
His first agility trial was in 2014, and he made quite the impression. “He ran up and off the teeter, continuing to gain altitude until he dropped to the ground,” Kautz says. “Everybody held their breath, and he jumped up to his feet, looked at me with those crazy eyes, and was like, ‘What’s next, Mum?'” One of his affectionate nicknames came about when the judge saw him at the gate waiting to come in for his next run. Kautz laughs, recalling her saying, “Bring that ‘Rocket Dog’ out here.” People also call him her “Mad Gerbil” “because he’s only four pounds, he’s got crazy eyes, and he’s so excitable,” she explains.
After that, there was no holding Focus back. “He didn’t trial again until the end of February 2015 as a Novice, and by the end of November, he was qualified for the 2016 Nationals,” Kautz says proudly.
The most tricky aspect of training Focus was the teeter. His weight and eagerness to get going meant he had to learn to be patient while waiting for it to drop. However, despite regularly being the smallest dog at competitions and often having double the challenge of bigger dogs, Kautz says he remains ever cheerful and has qualified every year since.
Age Is Just a Number
Focus isn’t letting his senior status hold him back, either. While he might not be quite as fast now, he continues to surprise and delight Kautz. “He’s so consistent, and mentally and emotionally, he hasn’t slowed down a bit,” she says. She took him to the last AKC National Agility Championships at age 11. There, he qualified for the Challengers round and moved up a notch.
At the Premier Cup, Kautz’s priority is ensuring that Focus has fun. “Ribbons and placements are wonderful, but I can’t tell you that’s the most important part of it,” she says. Instead, she has a heartwarming wish for him to finish each run with his signature move—doing a happy spin before jumping into her arms, wearing a smiley expression.
Kautz retired in 2020, allowing her to devote even more time to her dogs. Focus has already qualified for the 2025 agility season, and she also has her retired dogs to spoil, her German Shepherds to stock train with, and some of her younger Papillons and Pomeranians to bring on in the agility ring.
Plus, they all enjoy the simple things in life. The activity that excites Focus as much as agility is pulling into the McDonald’s or Starbucks drive-thru. Kautz says he’s the only dog in the vehicle that starts to cry, and it escalates until she can pull into the parking lot to let him enjoy his pup cup reward.
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