There was an episode of the prime time cartoon ‘King of the Hill’ back in 2002 titled ‘Dances with Dogs’. TV.com has a recap of the episode (the full version of which can be read on their site):

Hank and Bobby go head to head in a craze imported from Canada: dog dancing. Hank catches Bobby Dog Dancing with Ladybird, and he is furious. He demands that Bobby stop. Bobby takes on Connie’s dog,’Doggie’ as his next partner, and they begin to train. Meanwhile, Ladybird lets Hank know that she wants to dance, so the competition begins, Old school vs. New age. When a competition comes to town, they showcase their talents, along with Bill, who purchased a Rottweiler that hates him.

I thought the episode was cute and funny. I mean, really, who dances with their dogs? The mere concept was completely foreign to me and I thought it was just a joke. And then I stumbled onto the real thing one day while cruising the ‘net. The very first time I ever saw dog dancing with live beings was when I downloaded a video clip of Carolyn Scott and Rookie doing a routine to ‘You’re the one that I want’ from Grease. I was both enthralled and amazed at how happy Rookie looked and how well they worked in tandem. It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 10 years since I first saw this.

According to Carolyn Scott’s website, http://www.caninefreestylemagicmatch.com,

Canine Freestyle is a dog sport in which training, teamwork, music, and movement combine to create an artistic, choreographed performance highlighting the canine partner in a manner that celebrates the unique qualities of each individual dog. It is built upon the foundation of a positive working relationship between a dog and handler team. – Definition of the Musical Dog Sport Association

I never knew that coordinated dancing with your dog would be considered a sport. Frisbee dogs, air ball, agility trials, distance jumping all seemed like ‘true dog sports’ to me. Dog dancing seemed like it was the rhythmic gymnastics of dog sports: You know that it takes time and patience and constant training but when you see it you’re not sure if you should be weirded out or amazed.

And, yes, I thought it was just a tad weird. Today I saw this video which has gone viral

Maybe it’s the cultural difference but they seem to have taken dog dancing to a completely different level. I can’t even dance that well and I’m referring to the dog! What strikes me as amazing is the type of bond that these people have with their canine companions and I wonder if maybe they know something that I don’t. Look at the dog’s expression and also the tail wag. All they want to do is please their owner and they genuinely appear to be having a great time.

I tried dancing with my Bernese Mountain Dog but, alas, all he did was sit between my legs and happily look up at me and then eventually bounded off to chase a butterfly.

A final note: Rookie passed away in 2008 at the ripe old age of 15.