As O'Shea reached the end of her run, Gina Edwards remembered the crowd that had been carefully watching the Sheltie bob and weave, jump and run, burst into loud applause.

“They knew,” said the 59-year-old Palm Desert resident. “They knew that she had earned her Master Agility Champion.”

O'Shea, who was competing in an agility contest in Van Nuys in late August, earned the title of Master Agility Champion, considered among the most coveted awards in the American Kennel Club.

A four-foot-long ribbon awarded to O'Shea for her achievement now hangs prominently in a lighted case in the Palm Desert home Gina shares with husband Doug Edwards, 63, and O'Shea's cousin, Smokey.

“It took us a year to earn the title,” Gina Edwards said. “You have to have run 20 trials perfectly.”

Dogs must also earn 750 points, which is done during competitions by shaving seconds off agility runs. Each run must be done in less than 40 seconds.

“We're retired so we can devote the time,” Gina Edwards said.

Every weekend, the couple pack up O'Shea and Smokey and trek across Southern California or Arizona to compete.

On weekdays, they practice.

Inside their small mobile home, instead of couches or chairs, Doug and Gina have a training tunnel, or chute, and a small platform where the dog practices a mandatory pause in his routine.

Outside, they have weave poles, a teeter and small A-frame that O'Shea has learned to climb.

Once a week, they travel to Riverside to train with an expert.

“It's just like a hobby,” Doug Edwards said. “And this hobby is our life.”

The couple got the idea to participate in agility after seeing it on television.

They started training Smokey first in 2004.

“He did it, but you could tell he was not enjoying it much,” Gina Edwards said.

O'Shea was different. They started her training in 2006 when she was one year old.

It just took off from there, the Edwardses said.

Through the years, the dogs have kept the couple active and helped them overcome health challenges.

Six years ago, Gina Edwards suffered a stroke. In 2007, Doug Edwards was diagnosed with cancer. He began his recovery last year.

“This helps keep my mind active, it keeps us going,” Gina Edwards said. “All in all, it's a passion.”