In this episode, we meet Mirosław "Mirek" Hyk from Poland, a farmer's son who grew up with dogs as his childhood companions and now runs agility with his Border Collies Runa and Furia. Mirek describes himself in one word: impossible. As he explains, life with dogs keeps bringing him moments he never would have believed possible.

As a young boy, Mirek walked to school with his brothers and cousins, always escorted by the family dogs. When the family moved to the city, the dogs stayed behind on the farm and the bond was lost for many years. Twelve years ago, after moving to a house with his wife, the first thing they wanted was a dog, and so their German Shepherd Azja came into their lives.

Mirek found OneMind Dogs while searching online for an answer to a very practical question: why did his dog turn right when he was doing everything to turn her left? He shares how his biggest eye-opener was discovering how much his own movement on the course changes his dog's jumping and lines, and why running together feels to him a bit like dancing.

We also talk about being an introvert in dog sports, the day a small child walked Azja on a loose leash when the adults couldn't, and why Mirek recently decided to go back to basics with Runa to work on tight turns and commitment. Mirek also shares his advice for anyone getting their first dog, his dream of one day making it to Crufts, and the one thing he would change in the world for dogs.

Learn more about Mirek:

• Their agility club on Facebook
• Mirek on Facebook

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