Speaking with Robia Pautler and her 17-year-old daughter, Emma, from Pearland, Texas, is a heart-warming reminder of the life-changing power of the human-animal bond. Their 3-year-old, red, white, and sable Rat Terrier, “Shazam!,” is a light in the life of the whole family. Now, he’s also taking the agility and AKC Fast CAT world by storm.
Ahead of his first time competing at the AKC National Agility Championship, taking place in Tulsa, Oklahoma from Mar. 14th to 16th, Robia and Emma explain how this little dog has had such a positive impact.
Robia has always had an affinity for this happy-go-lucky little breed—in part because her father told fond stories of his much-loved childhood dog. She decided to get a Rat Terrier puppy to lighten the load while in grad school. “She got me through graduate school, my postdoc, and into my position as a tenured associate professor,” she says. “As soon as I got tenure, she passed away, which just about crushed me.”
The family didn’t feel complete without a Rat Terrier, so they contacted AKC Platinum-rated Breeder of Merit, Stacy McWilliams. “Before Shazam! was born, I had a dream about him, which sounds a little hokey, but I did,” says Robia.
Robia Pautler
Since his arrival, it’s obvious he’s a dream addition to the family. “Shazam! has been a godsend,” Robia says. “We couldn’t have asked for a better little guy.”
Robia enjoys her work as a professor and scientist, but it’s sometimes very stressful. Being able to run Shazam! in agility helps manage her anxiety levels, and it’s also something he loves and excels in. She mentions they have been fortunate enough to have the support of two phenomenal coaches and agility pioneers, Elizabeth Blanchard and Renee King. “Miranda Livesay was also critical in helping us with early training with Shazam!,” she adds.
As well as qualifying for the National Agility Championships, Shazam! was ranked the number one Rat Terrier for the 16-inch jump height by Bad Dog Agility in 2024. For Robia, the goal at this year’s AKC National Agility Championship is just to do their best and have fun. “Every time he leaves the ring, he knows he’s the best dog in the world, no matter what happens,” she says.
Scott Klar
Shazam! and Robia’s daughter Emma are also knocking it out of the park in AKC Fast CAT—a timed 100-yard dash, in which a dog chases a lure. His partnership with Emma has been transformative, helping her gain confidence after going through some personal struggles.
“Emma has an expressive communication disorder that is part of her autism, and articulation can sometimes be challenging for her as well,” Robia explains. “In junior high, kids could be mean, and that’s when she started getting picked on, and she’d come home crying.”
Understandably, Emma started shutting down. “She stopped talking at school and didn’t want to socialize much—she just wanted to stay in her room away from everyone and draw,” Robia explains.
After some friends suggested that Emma and Shazam! should try AKC Fast CAT, the pair quickly fell in love with the sport. Shazam! is currently ranked as one of the top 10 fastest (Lifetime) Rat Terriers in AKC Fast CAT, with average speeds of over 28 mph. Emma, who had never won anything before, is gathering an impressive collection of ribbons. “I hang them on my wall, and I’m trying for FCAT8 [after accumulating 4500 competition points] later this month,” she says with a proud smile.
Amy Murray
Having so many positive social interactions within the Houston dog sports world has also been a blessing for the family. “Cindy Wildman, our local Fast CAT lure course operator, circulated a message throughout the local Fast CAT community asking people to stop and say hello to Emma at the events,” Robia says. “People started doing that, and she got to meet a lot of different kinds of dogs.” Emma says her favorite dog that she’s met is a Cocker Spaniel called “Tater Tot,” whom she always cheers for at competitions.
With her best friend Shazam! supporting her, Emma is opening up in class again, raising her hand to answer questions, giving presentations, and excelling academically. “She’s a senior in high school now and applied to [and was accepted into] three local colleges with a GPA of 3.69,” Robia says. “She loves biology, Spanish, computer animation, drawing, and also wants to be a teacher.”
Mark Baer
Shazam!’s positive influence extends across the whole Pautler family. Robia’s other daughter, 15-year-old Maddy, has been struggling with health issues. Last summer, she had major corrective surgery for pectus excavatum. “This is when the chest wall becomes concave, crushing the heart and lungs,” Robia explains. The recovery was tough, and she had to learn how to breathe correctly again. “She didn’t recover enough to do well at basketball tryouts, which crushed her.”
Robia suggested Maddy try agility with Shazam!, who has grown to love the sport. Agility provides an opportunity to improve Maddy’s breathing and has restored her happiness. In addition to getting back to basketball, Maddy has plans to run Shazam! as an AKC Junior Handler in the future.
Shazam! loves the whole family unconditionally, including Robia’s 91-year-old mother, who lives with them. “She was diagnosed with dementia, and it’s amazing to see how gentle and patient Shazam! is with her,” Robia says. “Her hearing isn’t too good, so she calls him ‘Susan’ instead of Shazam!—we think that’s very cute.”
He’s also best friends with the family’s other dog, “Rosie,” who they got 9 years ago. “She used to run agility, but retired from trials, as she’s about 10 years old, but she still goes to agility class because she loves it,” Robia says. She says that Rosie and Shazam! cuddle, play, and groom each other all the time.
Lori Cope
With Shazam! only being 3 years old, there’s plenty of opportunity for him to progress further in agility and AKC Fast CAT. The family are also hoping to welcome a new puppy into the family in the next year or two. “Emma says she’d like another Rat Terrier, this time a girl,” Robia says. “Her main criteria are that the new puppy has ‘eyebrows,’ is sweet and hopefully likes Fast CAT.”
Training a new puppy will also be a family affair. While Maddy plans to try out for basketball again in the fall, she can’t wait to introduce the new addition to agility.
Whatever the future holds, Robia will be forever grateful to Shazam!. “It’s hard to believe how one 21-pound little red dog can be so impactful on an entire family,” she says. “But we love him, and he loves us—it’s as simple as that, and it’s the most important piece to all of this.”
The post Agility Competitor ‘Shazam!’ Is the Transformative Heart of His Family appeared first on American Kennel Club.
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Ahead of his first time competing at the AKC National Agility Championship, taking place in Tulsa, Oklahoma from Mar. 14th to 16th, Robia and Emma explain how this little dog has had such a positive impact.
A Lifelong Love of Rat Terriers
Robia has always had an affinity for this happy-go-lucky little breed—in part because her father told fond stories of his much-loved childhood dog. She decided to get a Rat Terrier puppy to lighten the load while in grad school. “She got me through graduate school, my postdoc, and into my position as a tenured associate professor,” she says. “As soon as I got tenure, she passed away, which just about crushed me.”
The family didn’t feel complete without a Rat Terrier, so they contacted AKC Platinum-rated Breeder of Merit, Stacy McWilliams. “Before Shazam! was born, I had a dream about him, which sounds a little hokey, but I did,” says Robia.
Robia Pautler
Since his arrival, it’s obvious he’s a dream addition to the family. “Shazam! has been a godsend,” Robia says. “We couldn’t have asked for a better little guy.”
Running Agility Keeps the Stress at Bay
Robia enjoys her work as a professor and scientist, but it’s sometimes very stressful. Being able to run Shazam! in agility helps manage her anxiety levels, and it’s also something he loves and excels in. She mentions they have been fortunate enough to have the support of two phenomenal coaches and agility pioneers, Elizabeth Blanchard and Renee King. “Miranda Livesay was also critical in helping us with early training with Shazam!,” she adds.
As well as qualifying for the National Agility Championships, Shazam! was ranked the number one Rat Terrier for the 16-inch jump height by Bad Dog Agility in 2024. For Robia, the goal at this year’s AKC National Agility Championship is just to do their best and have fun. “Every time he leaves the ring, he knows he’s the best dog in the world, no matter what happens,” she says.
Scott Klar
Renewed Confidence Through Shazam! and Fast CAT
Shazam! and Robia’s daughter Emma are also knocking it out of the park in AKC Fast CAT—a timed 100-yard dash, in which a dog chases a lure. His partnership with Emma has been transformative, helping her gain confidence after going through some personal struggles.
“Emma has an expressive communication disorder that is part of her autism, and articulation can sometimes be challenging for her as well,” Robia explains. “In junior high, kids could be mean, and that’s when she started getting picked on, and she’d come home crying.”
Understandably, Emma started shutting down. “She stopped talking at school and didn’t want to socialize much—she just wanted to stay in her room away from everyone and draw,” Robia explains.
After some friends suggested that Emma and Shazam! should try AKC Fast CAT, the pair quickly fell in love with the sport. Shazam! is currently ranked as one of the top 10 fastest (Lifetime) Rat Terriers in AKC Fast CAT, with average speeds of over 28 mph. Emma, who had never won anything before, is gathering an impressive collection of ribbons. “I hang them on my wall, and I’m trying for FCAT8 [after accumulating 4500 competition points] later this month,” she says with a proud smile.
Amy Murray
Having so many positive social interactions within the Houston dog sports world has also been a blessing for the family. “Cindy Wildman, our local Fast CAT lure course operator, circulated a message throughout the local Fast CAT community asking people to stop and say hello to Emma at the events,” Robia says. “People started doing that, and she got to meet a lot of different kinds of dogs.” Emma says her favorite dog that she’s met is a Cocker Spaniel called “Tater Tot,” whom she always cheers for at competitions.
With her best friend Shazam! supporting her, Emma is opening up in class again, raising her hand to answer questions, giving presentations, and excelling academically. “She’s a senior in high school now and applied to [and was accepted into] three local colleges with a GPA of 3.69,” Robia says. “She loves biology, Spanish, computer animation, drawing, and also wants to be a teacher.”
Mark Baer
A Blessing for the Whole Family
Shazam!’s positive influence extends across the whole Pautler family. Robia’s other daughter, 15-year-old Maddy, has been struggling with health issues. Last summer, she had major corrective surgery for pectus excavatum. “This is when the chest wall becomes concave, crushing the heart and lungs,” Robia explains. The recovery was tough, and she had to learn how to breathe correctly again. “She didn’t recover enough to do well at basketball tryouts, which crushed her.”
Robia suggested Maddy try agility with Shazam!, who has grown to love the sport. Agility provides an opportunity to improve Maddy’s breathing and has restored her happiness. In addition to getting back to basketball, Maddy has plans to run Shazam! as an AKC Junior Handler in the future.
Shazam! loves the whole family unconditionally, including Robia’s 91-year-old mother, who lives with them. “She was diagnosed with dementia, and it’s amazing to see how gentle and patient Shazam! is with her,” Robia says. “Her hearing isn’t too good, so she calls him ‘Susan’ instead of Shazam!—we think that’s very cute.”
He’s also best friends with the family’s other dog, “Rosie,” who they got 9 years ago. “She used to run agility, but retired from trials, as she’s about 10 years old, but she still goes to agility class because she loves it,” Robia says. She says that Rosie and Shazam! cuddle, play, and groom each other all the time.
Lori Cope
The Future is Bright
With Shazam! only being 3 years old, there’s plenty of opportunity for him to progress further in agility and AKC Fast CAT. The family are also hoping to welcome a new puppy into the family in the next year or two. “Emma says she’d like another Rat Terrier, this time a girl,” Robia says. “Her main criteria are that the new puppy has ‘eyebrows,’ is sweet and hopefully likes Fast CAT.”
Training a new puppy will also be a family affair. While Maddy plans to try out for basketball again in the fall, she can’t wait to introduce the new addition to agility.
Whatever the future holds, Robia will be forever grateful to Shazam!. “It’s hard to believe how one 21-pound little red dog can be so impactful on an entire family,” she says. “But we love him, and he loves us—it’s as simple as that, and it’s the most important piece to all of this.”
The post Agility Competitor ‘Shazam!’ Is the Transformative Heart of His Family appeared first on American Kennel Club.
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