A dog leaps out over the water in the Big Air competition.If you go
› What: Dog Days of Summer and Bowhunting Classic› Where: Cabela’s, 350 Cobb Parkway, Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.› When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, July 29-30› Admission: Free› For more information: 706-956-2800
You've seen them on ESPN and Outdoor Channel, now those leaping, diving DockDogs are coming here.
As part of Dog Days of Summer and Bowhunting Classic at Cabela's in Fort Oglethorpe, there will be a DockDogs competition on Saturday and Sunday, July 29-30.
The DockDogs showcase will include free DockDogs shows, dog-training demonstrations and puppy adoptions. Bowhunting Classic events will include archery activities, bowhunting demonstrations and kids archery at an inflatable archery range.
DockDogs is a canine aquatics competition in which dogs leap into a tank of water in attempts to set records in length of jump, height and speed of retrieval. These canine athletes log serious hang time: 31 feet is the record in Big Air Outdoor (a long jump for dogs) and 8 feet, 10 inches for a vertical leap.
At Cabela's this weekend, canine competitors will leap into a 27,000-gallon splash pool. The DockDogs show will begin at 10 a.m. and run through 5 p.m. each day. There will also be activities on-site in conjunction with the Bowhunting Classic (see accompanying schedule).
"If you haven't seen these amazing dogs leap 20-plus feet into the big splash pool, you're in for a treat," says Philip Sparn, marketing manager at Cabela's-Fort Oglethorpe.
The free local event is a national qualifier for the DockDogs World Championship, to be held later this year in Knoxville.
Think your dog has the skills? Sparn says anybody can enter. Any breed/mix is eligible as long as it is at least 6 months old.
Just bring your dog (on a 4-foot leash) and register day-of. There will be different classes based on experience. Handlers can't push or shove their pets into the water; they must jump in willingly.
"We love our four-legged friends here at Cabela's and we know that they play an essential role in everybody's family," says Sparn. "We want this event to be entertaining and beneficial for anybody who loves the outdoors, but we also want it to provide all the resources any dog-loving family needs.
"It's going to be an awesome event and we want it to be a chance for your family to learn more about how to train and care for your pup, or maybe if your family is ready, adopt a new puppy and give it a forever home."
Schedule
Saturday and Sunday9 a.m. DockDog Competition warm-ups10 a.m. Bowhunting Classic10 a.m. Dog Days of Summer11 a.m. Game Cameras: Scouting Your Next Trophy11 a.m. SAFE Archery Range11:30 a.m. Fuel Your Archery AddictionNoon Bug Off!Noon Archery for Beginners1 p.m. Field to Fork
DockDog Events
› Extreme Vertical: This is the high jump. Dogs start at the 20-foot mark on the dock and jump up to grab a bumper toy extended 8 feet from the end of the dock over the water. Starting height is 4 feet, six inches, and the toy rises in 2-inch increments as the competition progresses.› Big Air: This is a long jump in which the dog may be placed anywhere on the 40-foot dock. The dog runs, then jumps in the water after a throw toy is thrown by its handler. Distance of the leap is judged from the end of the dock to where the tail set of the dog breaks the water’s surface.› Speed Retrieve: In this timed event, a bumper toy is suspended 2 inches above the water with a starting indicator light above it. The dog is placed at the 20-foot mark on the dock. When the light turns green, the handler releases the dog. The clock stops when the dog has pulled the toy from the Speed Retrieve bracket.Source: DockDogs
