By Leneen Robb - Staff Reporter

When Astrid Thunstron's husband died, she found herself with a lot of empty hours to fill. You can only crochet so much, and after a while, her daughter-in-law suggested that she get a dog.

She got a lot more when she adopted a papillon named Candy - and agreed to host Little Paws Agility gatherings in her backyard.

Thunstron's once-quiet lawn is now a blur of activity. Tiny dogs leap through tires, burst out of tunnels and parade across the grass, looking for a pat on the head or a crunchy biscuit.

But Thunstron, 84, didn't just meet a bunch of canines when she agreed to lend her backyard to Little Paws.

She got to know Diana Sinfield, Julia Beaton and the other regulars, who meet to put their pets through the paces on Thunstron's roomy lawn.

There are no Rottweilers or German shepherds here, only papillons, pomeranians and other small breeds like cockapoos.

"I like it because ... what am I going to do?" Thunstron says of the Little Paws' visits, which have become a focus of her week.

"The first year after my husband died, I sat here crocheting all alone, so that got boring.

"You," she says, motioning to Beaton, Sinfield and Tori Hurrell, who are gathered around a table in her backyard eating almond-pineapple squares and sipping tea, dogs milling at their feet, "make it so nice."

Beaton says Thunstron has blossomed since she began hosting Little Paws.

"She makes us tea and she makes the most wonderful almond-pineapple slice," Beaton says. "It's just wonderful."

Thunstron, who stands on the sidelines with Candy most of the time, says she enjoys watching the activity going on in her backyard. And she adds that she appreciates the grass seeding, stump clearing and other landscaping work group members have done to patch it up since they first began meeting there a year ago.

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Why agility classes specifically for small dogs?

Beaton, who teaches with Sinfield at Dogwood Pacesetters Canine Sports Club in Langley, says many owners are afraid to mix their pets with larger animals.

"There are an amazing amount of people that are afraid of taking their little dogs out where there's big dogs - with or without reason," she says, adding that during her years as an instructor, she's seen "very few incidents."

Nevertheless, dogs that weigh as little as four pounds have special requirements.

Sinfield has built agility equipment that viewers of Top Dog will be familiar with. It's the same size as the teeter-totters and other apparatus used by larger dogs, but can be adjusted to accommodate smaller animals.

"A lot of little dogs can do this stuff, too," Sinfield says of agility, one of the fastest growing sports in North America. "You just have to lower some of the jumps."

"Most people think little dogs are just ankle-biters, lap dogs or little couch potatoes," adds Beaton. "But they love (agility)."

Sinfield and Beaton teach agility in Thunstron's backyard twice a week in the summer.

They both have dogs competing at the highest level, masters, and say that where there were once just three agility trials a year in the Lower Mainland, there is now at least one a month.

Dogs don't have to be purebreds to take classes with Little Paws, just small (15 inches or less at the shoulder - "A chihuahua can do it," Sinfield says) and healthy. Even those as old as eight or nine can take part.

"For agility, you just need the basic sit, stay and wait," Beaton says of the training requirements.

Owners, meanwhile, need to be able to walk or run around the course with their pets (it's an interactive sport) - but the atmosphere is strictly fun.

"I've done my share of face plants - bark mulch on my face," Beaton says, laughing.

"If you're a dog lover, to have something to do with your dog is so fun," Sinfield adds.

Six weekly classes, which usually include eight or 10 owners and their dogs, cost $75.