About Agility Diary
The Story
Mark is a software engineer originally from Cape Town, South Africa, who moved to Ireland in 2019. His agility journey began in 2017 with Anniken, a rescue dog found on the side of a road in Cape Town at just six weeks old — ears full of fleas, belly full of worms. After such a rough start, Anniken has travelled the world with Mark.
Agility wasn't the original plan. Mark took Anniken to obedience classes, but Anniken kept ignoring the lessons and watching the agility group train instead. So Mark decided to give it a try — and they've been hooked ever since.
The Dogs
Anniken
Rescued in 2016, Anniken achieved 8th and 9th overall in the medium (400) category at the IFCS World Agility Championships in 2024 and 2025. Not bad for a rescue from the streets of Cape Town.
Murphy
Murphy is Mark's younger dog — a border collie who shows great promise in the sport. He and his siblings were part of a surprise litter, born under the floor of a shed that had to be broken open to reach mum and the pups. From those humble beginnings, Murphy is now learning the ropes and building towards what Mark hopes will be a bright agility career.
Why Agility Diary
Mark built Agility Diary because he wanted to track his runs across various organisations instead of using a spreadsheet, and he needed structure in his training. What started as a personal tool grew into something he hopes other agility handlers will find useful too.