Underdog? Not this guy.

� Sure, he qualified for national competition at the last moment. True, he had to make it through a win-or-go-home challenge round against nine other canines to get into the finals. Yes, it was his first time competing on a national level.

� However, Buddy Lee, a 5-year-old papillon, wasn't particularly fazed by that. He certainly doesn't appear concerned about it now, a month after he and his handler, Mike McCoy, won the American Kennel Club Preferred National Agility Championship in their class.

� Instead, during a recent visit, Buddy was content to wait for McCoy to toss a ball across the floor of the Dog Training Center in Pueblo West, where the two train (McCoy is co-owner of the facility). Fetch is the preferred game, even when there's a doggie playground at his disposal.

� McCoy and Buddy won the 4-inch preferred agility title. The AKC competition has two categories, standard and preferred.

�"The preferred and standard courses are actually the same. The preferred classes just allow dogs to jump at a lower height and offer greater time allowances than the regular classes," said Stephanie Smith, club communications manager for the AKC. "This lets a wider variety of dogs compete in agility, such as older dogs or dogs that are not typically athletic due to their body shape (or) size. The owner can choose whether to compete in the regular or preferred classes."

�Four inches refers to the jump height a dog has to clear when running the agility course. It may sound easy, but when you're a papillon or other short-legged dog, it's intense work. The course also includes tunnels � the favorite obstacle for most dogs � and a weave pole (a line of poles dogs must wind through).

� McCoy said Buddy caught on to agility training pretty easily, although the weave pole remains an occasional challenge. Papillons are athletic, energetic and good-natured, so they're suited to agility work. They usually train for about 10 minutes on the course, then rest for a while.

� "He's sort of a timid soul, but we keep working through that," said McCoy. "It took awhile for him to learn because these are all skills. Training and time � that's what agility is."

� To qualify for the national event, dogs have to earn six double qualifying scores, or "double Q's," in top-level AKC competition during a 12-month period (Dec. 1-Nov. 30). They also must accumulate 400 Master Agility Champion points.

� As of last September, Buddy and McCoy had accumulated zero double Q's. Then, at a single New Mexico competition, they earned four. On Thanksgiving weekend, they snagged magic number six, earning a trip to the nationals in March in Reno.

� Despite a bumpy beginning, McCoy and Buddy made it to the challenge round, where only one finalist would emerge from the 10 dogs competing. Buddy and his magnificent ears triumphed, then ended up acing the last round to win the championship.

� "It's a stressful situation," said McCoy. "By the time we got to the finals, he was completely overwhelmed. You just have to help your teammate get through it, and we did."

� For McCoy, the result was welcome but unexpected. This was supposed to be nothing more than a chance to gain experience. Instead, the duo will head back next year to defend their title.

� "It's kind of like an NFL wild-card team winning the Super Bowl," said McCoy's wife, Jo Ann. �

� McCoy, 67, retired several years ago as a heavy equipment mechanic with Pueblo County. Working with Buddy and the family's three other papillons has made retirement a lot more interesting.

� "It keeps you thinking and active," he said. "I hope I can do it for quite a while. You're playing with your doggies and life is good."