martin, the balancing dogThe most important photo set in the history of Flickr has hit several New York group feeds this week: Amazing Feats of Balance. It stars a dog named Martin, whose owner granted us an exclusive interview this week to discuss his dog's gravity-defying stunts atop fire hydrants, traffic cones and even the Wall Street's Charging Bull.

"Those photos seem perfect for a random Cute Overload post or the like, but it's all for fun," says Martin's owner, Bill. (He asked that we not use his last name). "I don't think it will make a difference to Martin -- everybody in our neighborhood knows her already!" (Yes, one wonders about the eyesight and hearing capabilities of someone who would miss an acrobatic female dog named Martin.)

The 5-year-old Labradoodle and Manhattan native was born in Washington Heights along with her 12 brothers and sisters. According to Bill, Martin has been jumping up on wobbly objects for years. "She's always been photogenic and had great self-control," he says.

"One of our favorite games from when she was just a puppy has been for her to jump on random posts and bollards whenever we go for walks anywhere," Bill explains. "After awhile we started trying to outdo ourselves with ever-more-silly and absurd photographs from spots around town."

Those photographs, when collected on Bill's Flickr feed, led to an almost immediate Internet sensation this week, with websites all over the world trying to get a hold of rights-free photos of the dog and, presumably, sending Animal Planet producers into emergency development meetings.

Keep reading to see our handpicked selection of Martin's best amazing feats.