Weaver used to be homeless.

He wandered the streets of Carrboro, dodging cars and surviving on who knows what.

Eventually, in the spring of 2001, the authorities picked him up near the Carrboro Farmers' Market.

He surrendered quickly to the arresting officer, reaching a paw out to Amanda Stipe through his cage.

That's when Stipe, then Carrboro's Animal Control officer, decided to take him in.

First, though, she had to take him to the slammer. She told officials there she and her husband would foster the dog and that her husband would come by in a few hours and bail him out.

She returned to work.

But unbeknownst to Stipe, Weaver was a repeat offender. They'd let him go once before. Now, he was back. He was put on death row.

When her husband, Fred, arrived, the shelter was busy. He told the woman behind the counter he had come for Weaver, but insisted she help the others in line first.

The woman looked at him. Then she took off, sprinting to the back.

"Don't do Weaver! Don't do Weaver!" she screamed over and over again.

Stipe and her husband tried to find a family for Weaver. But after three times they gave up. They officially became his guardians July 21, 2001.

But Weaver was a different boy from the one Stipe had found on the streets. With a full stomach and a place to sleep, his energy had increased ten-fold. Perhaps this is why others had abandoned him.

"He was a jumping bean," Stipe said.

Weaver is a part English or American foxhound, Stipe believes. They are bred for hunts.

"Everyone sees paintings of the hound at its master's feet, snoozing in the sun," Stipe said. "But that's after the hunt."

She signed Weaver up for obedience and agility classes to help him use up some of that energy. She noticed right away how he took to agility challenges, like jumping through tires and walking across a see-saw.

"I picked up that he needed a job," she said. "He liked the structure and form."

He got so good that Stipe entered Weaver in competitions.

And he won.

All of them.

People started taking notice of this former homeless foxhound who took home title after title.

Weaver, now 7, is ranked as the No. 1 male American foxhound in the country. And he is the No.1 male in the United States Dog Agility Association.

He was recently invited to compete in the American kennel Club Agility Invitational in Long Beach, Calif. Only the top five dogs in each breed around the country get invited, Stipe said.

Now, dog magazines are calling to put the gorgeous foxhound on their covers.

Last month Weaver was featured on the cover of Dog Sport Magazine. Next month, he'll grace the pages of Dog Fancy.

It's like being Brad Pitt. If he were a dog.

The fame hasn't gone to his head, though, Stipe said.

At home, he acts normally. He sleeps in their bed while the Stipes are at work. He loves to run around the house at full speed. He yodels. And he loves egging the Stipe's other dog, Barkley the beagle, into chasing him.

"Weaver takes one to two laps around the house and waits for Barkley," Stipe said. "Then he lets out a little noise for Barkley to find him."

But when it comes to food, this celebrity isn't eating canned Alpo. Weaver has exceptionally good taste in food.

His favorite snack is smoked salmon, hold the bagel and cream cheese. For dinner, it's usually ground turkey.

"He eats better than I do," Stipe said.

If only we were all ranked No. 1.