Missouri, here we come!

Happy 4th of July, fans!

Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy!

We’re going to another dock diving event. Well, at least some of us are. My mom is taking me and Hoppy to Troy, Missouri for the Lincoln County Fair. It’s an event hosted by the Gateway DockDogs club.

Why just Hoppy and me? Why not Spud? Unfortunately, her SUV, when loaded down and packed with all our dock diving and travel gear, can only hold two dogs. So the decision came down to which two dogs.

Of course, one of the dogs was an automatic choice: me! But should the second dog be Hoppy or Spud? My mom wanted to take Spud, especially since he’s been jumping so good lately. But my dad didn’t want her taking Spud away from him. (Personally, I think he’s a little too attached to Spud!)

See how good Spud’s been jumping. That boy is on fire!

But, back to Hoppy……he’s such a big baby and so dependent on his pack. Being here for five days without either Spud or me…….well, let’s just say by the time we got back, he would be weaving baskets in the doggie sanitarium.

Y’all want to see something cool? Here is the logo for our big dock diving event we are having down in Milledgeville.

We are soooooooo excited about this event. Registration is going very well so far. My mom has been doing all the publicity for this event. Boy, has she been busy sending out press releases, contacting magazines and radio stations and emails.

And guess what we did a couple of days ago. My mom and Spud and I went down to a marina in Milledgeville (on Lake Sinclair) where there are plenty of docks. And, of course, we got to dock dive. But there was something very different about it this time.

There was a lady with a video camera (a professional one like my mom uses), and she was shooting footage of Spud and me. She shot all of our jumps. Plus, she got some real close-up shots of us….right in our faces and close-ups of our paws and tails wagging.

I was thinking, “Who IS this person?” Then, after Spud and I did several jumps with this Steven Spielberg wannabe filming our every move, she took my mom over on another dock and started talking to her and filming her talking.

What in the world is so film-worthy about my mom talking? She does it ALL THE TIME. Trust me, it’s no big thing.

When we got home, I heard my mom talking to my dad about a TV news story. Then, it all made sense. That lady was a TV news reporter.

We are going to be on the news! I’m sure it was part of the publicity work my mom has been doing for our event.

Here is the link to our official information page about our event:

The Fishing Creek Outfitters Throwdown

And here’s the link to register if you want to come jump with us. It would be so cool if some of y’all could come down to our event!

Throwdown registration

Oh yeah, one more thing. Remember in my last post, I said we were going to our Fun Jump? And they were going to crown a Mr. and Ms. Dixie Dock Dog and I hoped I would get Ms. Dixie Dock Dog. Well, I didn’t win. I think I came in second. (Personally, I think someone stuffed the ballot box!)

Here are the winners. Congratulations to Ruby and Wedge!

Well, I’ve got to run now. We are going out on our boat today. That’s always fun….lots of swimming and water retrieving. And I love riding on the boat. I’ll try to get my mom or dad to take some photos.

See you on the dock,

Sally, the Captain of Team 3 Dawg Flite

Proud member of Dixie Dock Dogs

Technorati Tags: dogs,labrador retriever,dock diving,dock jumping,dock dogs,news,news story,tv reporter

Oh my! So much has happened.

Where do I begin? I feel like I’ve lost touch with all my fans and let y’all down. I haven’t made a blog post in so long. Spud made one for me. (Wasn’t that post cute!)

My mom has really been busy. Busy with her job which has had her monopolizing the computer. I asked my dad if I could use his computer. But nooooooo. I couldn’t use his.

Well, as luck would have it (bad luck for my mom), the computer has become available due to my mom’s accident.

Don’t worry. She’s okay. We were at the marina, and she tripped over….guess who! Yep, Hoppy! She tumbled down on the asphalt drive and skidded down the hill.

OUCH!!

She’s pretty skinned up and bruised. And Hoppy? He never knew anything happened.

Anyway, her injury has given me time to crank out another post to catch y’all up.

Hmmmm…..let’s see. The biggest news:

Our dock diving club has signed a contract to host a dock diving event here in Georgia! The humans in the club have been working on this for so long. Finally, I get to invite all my dog friends from all over to come down here to Georgia for an event.

Details? Glad you asked.

Name of Event: The Fishing Creek Outfitters Throwdown

Place: Milledgeville, Georgia

Dates: August 28-30, 2009

I want to say right now…..all of my dog friends, all of my fans, anyone reading this….you are all invited to The Fishing Creek Outfitters Throwdown.

“Catch up” item #2: We got an award….a Gold Hydrant Award….from our blog friends at “Life with Dogs.”

I’m trying to get Sola, one of those dogs, to do some dock diving. She would be really good at it. You fans who read their blog, help me encourage Sola to try dock diving.

And THANK YOU to all the dogs over at Life with Dogs for the award. We are honored!!

“Catch up item #3”: We have a new club website. Okay, this is not so exciting to y’all, but it really means a lot to us Dixie Dock Doggers. My mom did the website. She loves that kind of stuff. (Personally, I think jumping off a dock is a lot more fun than computer stuff.)

“Catch up” item #4: We have two new practice docks and have had a practice at each of them. Wanna see some pics?

Me trying out our new portableExtreme Vertical rig. Cool! I love it!

Spud wanted to try the EV rig. He didn’t quite get it. But he tried!

But again, it was Hoppy who took the prize for the goofiest. Look at this goober. Since it’s warm weather now, my mom got into the water thinking he would jump to her.

Nope.

She got his favorite toy and shook it in front of his face, honestly believing he would jump to her.

Nope.

It was just tooooooooo far down there for Hoppy.

So my mom brought out her big gun: PEANUT BUTTER!

Peanut butter is Hoppy’s most absolutelyest favorite thing in the entire world. He’s obsessed with peanut butter.

Yep, my mom’s no dummy. She knew what would get that boy off the dock.

He looked at it. He sniffed it.

Did he jump for it?

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Heck no!

But I can honestly say I’ve never seen him stick his tongue out so far. He must have pulled out the reserve tongue trying to reach that peanut butter.

Ya know….he’s just too cute not to love. What a goofball.

My mom says she’s going to keep trying. He honestly acts like he wants to jump like Spud and me. One day he will, but until that day, we’re just going to keep laughing at him and his craziness.

That’s all I’ll catch you up on today. Our club is having a Fun Jump this Sunday. They have games and competitions and all kinds of fun things planned.

And guess what? They are going to vote on a Mr. and Ms. Dixie Dock Dog. Keep you fingers crossed that I win the Ms. Dixie Dock Dog. Now, how cool would that be!

Thanks again to all the dogs at Life with Dogs for the award. Y’all are the best. And, Sola, get up there on that dock at the New Hampshire event. Give it a shot. Pretty soon, you’ll be dragging your humans all over the country like we do.

See you on the dock,

Sally, the Captain of Team 3 Dawg Flite

Proud member of Dixie Dock Dogs

Technorati Tags: dogs,labrador retriever,dock diving,dock dogs,dock jumping,awards

hey it’s me, Spud

My sister Sally let me writ this intry in her blog. She loves her litl bruther.

Last weekend my dad took me, just me, to a dok diving place up in sumwere he called ohio. We did a lot of dok diving. I got reel tired but I had very much fun.

it seemed strage to not have sally and hoppy there but speshally sally. i missed her becaus she is our pack leeder. Evry time we got back to our tent, it kep looking for her crate but there wuz no sally anywhur.

but i still had a very good time with my dad. And I jumped real good. I even urned my “National Master Title.” Now I am a big jumper!

Here are sum pichurs of me jumping.

See how gud i did. I love dok diving very much!

Thank you sally for letting me rite in your blog. and i’m sorry you did not git to go up to ohio with me and dad. i missed you sally.

Spud, the Co-Pilot of Team 3 Dawg Flite

Proud member of Dixie Dock Dogs

Technorati Tags: dogs,labrador retriever,dock diving,dock jumping,dock dogs

I’m on strike

You will never….in a million years….believe what my dad has done to me. No, really. Try and guess.

Let Hoppy eat out of my bowl? Nope.

Bring a cat home? Nope.

Give treats to Spud and Hoppy, but not me? Nope.

Forget my birthday? Nope.

Give up?

He went on a trip to a dock diving event up in Ohio this weekend and took only Spud. Not me. Not my mom. Not Hoppy. Not ME. But just Spud. I heard them talking about this earlier, but I never figured he go and do something like this.

I can hear all you 3 Dawg Flite fans out there asking, “WHY?”

Well, as you know, my mom is a wedding and event videographer, and she had two weddings this weekend. So she couldn’t go. As a matter of fact, that’s why I haven’t posted very much this past week. My mom has been busy, busy, busy which means she hogs the computer.

And I’m…well, how shall I put this? Let’s just say that I’m “spirited” and my dad sometimes has a hard time handling me. He does okay with one dog, but trying to handle more than one…especially if one is me…is a little tough for him.

So, what did we do? Well, this was my mom’s schedule this weekend:

Friday: Leave for wedding at 11:00. Get back home at midnight.

Saturday: Leave for wedding at 1:00. Get back home at 1:30 a.m.

As you can see, there was just no time for Hoppy and me. So we went to Pawtropolis, our doggie daycare, all weekend. Yep, we had one big spend-the-night party over there.

It was a blast!!! We went rollerblading. Okay, we didn’t actually rollerblade ourselves. The staff member rollerbladed, and we ran along with them.

Hoppy went for a hike. I retrieved outside in their dog park.

We got Frosty Paws for a bedtime snack.

But the best part? They had the pool open all weekend. I stayed in that water until they thought I was going to shrivel up. It’s not a big adult-size pool, but a small in-ground doggie-size pool. Here are some pics of me and my friends having fun in the Pawtropolis pool.

So, all is well. I had a blast, and so did Hoppy. Okay, okay…not as much fun as dock diving, but darn close.

I am, however, still really, really, REALLY mad because my dad went off without me. So I am definitely going on strike. Just exactly what I’m striking, I have no idea. But I’ll think of something.

And my dad and Spud? They should be home tomorrow, and I’ll post about how Spud did. (If I can get my mom off the computer long enough!)

See you on the dock,

Sally, the Captain of Team 3 Dawg Flite

Proud member of Dixie Dock Dogs

Technorati Tags: dogs,labrador retriever,dock diving,dock jumping,dock dogs,doggy day care,pools,swimming

B-I-G weekend dock diving. Lookie here!

Where do I start? We went to Sanford, N.C., for a dock diving event with Carolina DockDogs. It was a fantastic weekend for Team 3 Dawg Flite!

Here’s the run down of what all we accomplished:

Sally (Captain goes first)

• 2nd place in Extreme Vertical Cadet Division
• 2nd place in Speed Retrieve
• 4th place in Big Air Masters Finals
• 2 2nd places in Big Air Waves
• Set a new Personal Best jump of 21 feet

Spud

• 2 2nd places and 1 3rd place in Big Air Waves
• 2nd place in Masters Big Air Finals
  
• Earned Regional Masters Title

Hoppy

• Well, let’s just say…he was Hoppy.

Whew! We are still recuperating from all that dock diving. But what fun we all had…both Spud and me and my mom and dad.

And my dad got a ton of great photos. So get ready to see some awesome dock diving pics.

First, here’s a series of one of my Extreme Vertical runs. Notice the last one how my mom celebrates the fact that I snagged the bumper.

Now, let’s see. How about a Speed Retrieve run. I love Speed Retrieve. It’s my favorite!

I like that last one showing my tail swirling the water. Cool, huh?

Who do you want to see next? How about Spud. He really did a terrific job.

Okay, time for some more pics of me. (Do y’all think I’m a little ego-centric?)

Here is the Big Air jump where I set my new personal best of 21 feet.

And then, of course, here’s my mom. Instead of just celebrating, she actually did some funky kind of celebration dance up there on the dock. Sometimes she sooooooo embarrasses me!

Here’s another one of my Big Air jumps. I like it when I catch the throw object.

And then, fans, here’s what you’ve been waiting for…Hoppy! He still didn’t jump, but my mom took him around to the other side of the pond and he did retrieve from the shore. And he honestly looked like he was a little interested in the wubba down there in the water. But still no jump. Just a lot of kisses and goofiness.

Well, that about closes out the report of our most recent event. It was really fun. When I finally recover, I’ll find something else to post about.

I hope I haven’t posted too many photos and bored you. Here are a couple of extra pics you might enjoy.

Good shot of Spud. He’s such a good boy!

And here I am telling my dad what I think of him sticking that camera up in my face!

See you on the dock,

Sally, the Captain of Team 3 Dawg Flite

Proud member of Dixie Dock Dogs

Technorati Tags: dogs,labrador retriever,dock diving,dock jumping,dock dogs,speed retrieve,extreme vertical,big air

Am I Actually Bragging on My Little Brother?

I know it’s been a long time since I’ve posted, but my mom and I wanted to keep my post about our Jump-a-Thon up there as long as possible.

And while I’m on that topic, thanks to everyone who pledged. Thank you from both my mom and me for helping us Chase Away Canine Cancer.

Now, on to Hoppy. I know, I know….most of my posts about Hoppy have been borderline Hoppy bashing. I’ve told y’all, and showed with photos, about what a goofball he is and how he embarrasses me.

Well, this time, I am proud to say….are you ready? Sound the trumpets and drum roll, please!

I am proud of Hoppy’s performance at our last event in Virginia Beach!

There…I said it. Now, he didn’t go off the dock, but he did really pretty well for Hoppy. Let’s see, what all did he do?

First, since Spud wasn’t jumping (cold tail), he go to wear Spud competition vest. And that vest, along with his recent weight loss, made him look like a real Dock Dog!

Next, he began to actually retrieve while at the event. Right behind our crating area, there was a little fenced in place where we could go exercise and play. Several times, my mom took Hoppy out there and threw the wubba for him, and he actually ran and retrieved it! That is the very first time he’s really retrieved with any enthusiasm at all.

Oh, he’s trotted over to pick up the wubba a couple of times, very wimpy and sissy-like. But this was real retrieving…like a real Labrador Retriever!

My mom and I were both very proud and happy that he is finally “getting it.”

Now, for his performance on the dock. Okay, let’s be honest. Other than looking good in Spud’s vest, he didn’t do any better. And here are the pics to prove it.

This is about my most favorite photo of him up on the dock. Can we say “clueless?” But he is cute, isnt’ he!

And, of course, there was the obligatory kissing Mom on the dock.

My mom honestly did everything she could. You know, they have 90 seconds to execute the jump. Bless her heart, she used the entire 90 seconds trying to get that boy to go get his wubba from the water.

She played with him with the wubba up on the dock before throwing it in the water.

She even threw it on the dock to let him retrieve it, hoping that would “get him in the mood.”

She tried getting him excited about the wubba in the water.

She even got the crowd involved. She got them cheering and changing “Hop-py, Hop-py, Hop-py.”

But it was to no avail. In the full 90 seconds, he never did jump.

BUT…..he did show one glimmer of promise….one act that was a little dockdoggish. Unfortunately, we have no pics of this, because my dad stopped taking photos when they left the dock. Who would have thought Hoppy would do something spectacular? Well, spectacular for Hoppy.

Remember, when the 90 seconds were up, the wubba was still floating in the water. As my mom opened the gate and took Hoppy off the dock, instead of turning to go down the steps and leave the dock, he actually….are you ready? Are you sitting down?

Hoppy actually turned and tried to go in the pool from the exit ramp to get the wubba! Now, how cool is that!!!!!

He didn’t exactly go into the water, but he walked down the ramp about halfway and tried to get his wubba. I think he’s beginning to get with the program:

Mom throws toy. Dog retrieves toy from water.

A friend got some video footage of Hoppy up on the dock. When my mom gets some free time, I’ll get her to upload it to the web so I can show you exactly what he looks like up there.

All in all…..Hoppy had a good event in Virginia Beach. Maybe there’s hope for that boy after all.

Sally, the Captain of Team 3 Dawg Flite

Proud member of Dixie Dock Dogs

Technorati Tags: dock dogs,dock diving,labrador retriever,dock jumping,dogs

Calling all Team 3 Dawg Flite fans....please come in.

Do I ever have news for you! Well, it's exciting to my mom and me anyway, and I just know you will be excited as well. It's actually two announcements. (Please read through this post. It's IMPORTANT!)

1) We are going to the Nationals this year! Yipppeeee! The Nationals are in October in Ohio.

and....here's the really good one....

2) My mom and I are participating in the DOCKDOGS JUMP-A-THON at the Nationals! Now, how cool is that. What is a jump-a-thon you ask? It's a way we are going to raise money to fight canine cancer. We are asking for pledges for so much per inch of my longest jump at the Nationals.

For example, if I jump 15 feet, that would equal 180 inches. And if you pledge $.10 per inch, then your donation would be $18.00. Get it?

Now, here's the really, really good part. ALL of the donations go to the charity "Chase Away Canine Cancer." I'm sure all of you Team 3 Dawg Flite fans have either lost a dog to cancer or know someone who has. Our family tragically lost our Basset Hound, Lucy, to bone cancer last year. I know cancer is high on the list of the cause of deaths of Labrador Retrievers, and I want to beat this terrible disease. Please help me do this!

How can you help? I'm glad you asked. Go to this link to make your pledge. To help you decide how much to pledge, let me tell you that my current average jump is 18'8" which is 224 inches. So, I should jump somewhere around that...hopefully longer!

Fans, I'm really, really, REALLY wanting to raise a lot of money for this cause. This is extremely important to both my mom and me. So, consider it carefully, and if you can pledge any amount....anything at all, no matter how small (or large!), please help us.


Thanks on behalf of all the dogs out there who have...or have had...or will have cancer.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Please let me thank you in advance for any pledge you might make. When my mom looks at the list of "pledgers," most of the time she doesn't recognize the names, so she can't personally thank them. So, if she doesn't recognize your name, please consider this our offer of gratitude for helping us out with this cause.

Sally, the Captain of Team 3 Dawg Flite
Proud member of Dixie Dock Dogs
Help me fight canine cancer!

Virginia Beach Heat and Cold Tail

Team 3 Dawg Flite got back home from our dock diving event in Virginia Beach very tired, but happy and loaded down with bling and ribbons! See….here’s all the cool stuff I won.

It was pretty hot up there, but not as hot as it gets down here in Georgia. We arrived Friday morning, and Spud and I had our first jump Friday afternoon.

Then something bad happened. The next morning, when we went out for our walk, Spud looked funny. His tail wasn’t wagging or even moving. It was just hanging straight down.

My dad asked my mom if she thought he might have something called “cold tail.” My mom said maybe so.

Now, I don’t know what cold tail is, but after experiencing that heat the day before, I thought it sounded pretty good. I was about to ask if I could have some of that cold tail.

Then I realized that it was something bad. My mom took Spud by the tail and tried to move it, and he yelped. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Spud yelp before. I yelp all the time…but then I’m a drama queen. So I knew when I heard Spud yelp, something was wrong.

When we got to the dock that morning, I heard my mom tell the event secretary to scratch Spud from all of his jumps that day.

What!!!!! They expected him to sit there and watch all that dock diving and not participate! How cruel.

Back in our crates, I talked to Spud and told him that I was mad at them for pulling him out of competition like that. But Spud said he was glad they did…that he didn’t feel good at all and his tail hurt.

Poor Spud. So the only ribbon he ended up getting was the on from Friday afternoon. It was a first place Senior Division.

Poor Spud.

Well, I kept jumping. Here are some pics of one of my Big Air jumps.

Here’s the last photo from that jump. As you can see, the throw was a little behind me, so I had to put on the brakes, but I could only stop the top part of my body. The bottom half just kept on flying. I could feel myself coming in for a landing on my back, so I tucked my tail, clamped down on that duck (so I wouldn’t lose it), and prepared to make a landing flat on my back.

I actually managed to pull out of it just at the last minute. I landed more on my butt and not on my back, but the crowd loved it!

My best Big Air jump was only 19’ which is only average for me. I don’t know why I didn’t do any better, but it was still fun.

Here are some Speed Retrieve pics. Speed Retrieve is my favorite type jump!

I was really disappointed in my Speed Retrieve times. My best was only 7.63 seconds. I can do under 7 seconds. My mom and dad said that the heat got to me and I just gave out of gas. Now, I have no idea what they were talking about, but something sure made me not on my “A game.”

I also did Extreme Vertical, but we don’t have any photos of that. Besides, I didn’t do so well in EV anyway. But my mom talked to an EV expert while we were there and got some tips that might help next time.

The only other thing I need to tell you about it Hoppy. Oh geez! I’m going to make an entire separate post about that boy. What a goof ball!!!!!

All in all, it was an okay event. It would have been better if Spud hadn’t have gotten that cold tail. He only needs one more leg for his Master Title, and we were all expecting him to get it at this event.

Well, there’s always next time! Only two weeks and we’ll be at another event in North Carolina! And this time, Spud, keep that tail high and dry and warm!

Sally, the Captain of Team 3 Dawg Flite

Proud member of Dixie Dock Dogs

Technorati Tags: dogs,dock diving,dock jumping,dock dogs,cold tail,labrador retriever

Virginia Beach, here comes Team 3 Dawg Flite!

Oh boy! We’re going on another dock diving trip this weekend. There’s a big event up at Virginia Beach, and we’re leaving as soon as my dad gets home from work tomorrow. Yippee and Yee-Haw!!!!!

Today is packing day, or at least start packing day. And it’s my job to make sure my mom doesn’t forget everything. I know she has a packing list, but it’s the Captain’s responsibility to make sure the flight is smooth and problem-free. So today, I’ll be following my mom around making sure everything is ready and packed.

Let me add right here…for those of you thinking about taking your dog to a dock diving event, you do NOT need all of this stuff. All you actually need is a leash and a throw toy. But because we travel so much, we take all of these things to keep us…especially our mom and dad…more comfortable and make things easier.

Okay, let’s see, we need…

shamwows (to dry us off)

old sheets and blankets (to put over our crates if needed)

my Power Bones (energy bars)

our treats

box with any meds we might need

Oxyfresh (add to our water for Hoppy’s bad breath!)

our competition vests

water dishes for our crates and food bowls for our meals

various bandanas so we can be “cute”

poopy bags for….well, you know

leashes and extra collars

our crates

the E-Z Up tent (2 in this pic, but we only take 1)

chairs for our mom and dad (we, of course, have those comfortable crates!)

our throw objects: (L-R Flappie, DFT/duck, bumper, Wubba)

Spud’s tennis ball (our dad decided he wants to try throwing this for Spud)

travel water dish and jug of water for us

Dixie Dock Dogs and 3 Dawg Flite banners to hang on our tent

ice chest full of drinks and snacks (for our mom and dad)

equipment case to carry all our “stuff” from hotel to event

cart to carry our crates, chairs, etc. from our truck down to the crating area

cart unfolds to look like this. cool, huh?

enough food for all three dogs for all the days we will be gone

Nylabones to keep us calm in the hotel room (good luck!)

old towels and lots of plastic bags because everything gets wet at dock diving events

our e-collar chargers and power strip (also for their cell phones and computer)

We wear the e-collars while traveling since we are in unfamiliar territory and stop at so many roadside places.

Whew! That’s a lot of stuff. And that’s just the stuff for us. It doesn’t even include my mom and dad’s stuff.

But when they start getting all of this stuff out, it sure gets me all excited. And I’ve followed my mom around all day today making sure she didn’t miss a thing.

I’m happy to report…..we are ready to goooooo!

Virginia Beach…..here comes Team 3 Dawg Flite!

Sally, the Captain of Team 3 Dawg Flite

Proud member of Dixie Dock Dogs

Technorati Tags: dogs,labrador retriever,dock dogs,dock diving,dock jumping,travel

Sally's mom here. Ashamed to say, I need some help!

I've got to hurry with this. Sally would kill me if she knew I was posting on her blog. So, here goes.

I make a living working on computers. I am very computer savvy. Not bragging, just stating a fact so you'll see how desperate I really am.

Now, here it is. I kept hearing all about Twittering. They Twitter on GMA, all the radio and TV personalities Twitter (or is it Tweet?), everyone in the world is communicating with Twitter.

Well, don't leave me out. I want to Twitter also. The problem is, I can't figure it out!!!!! It is sooooo aggravating. Over the past 14 years, I've figured out all kinds of computer programs without any instructions. But for the life of me, this Twitter has me stumped.

Posting comments is not the problem. The problem is how do you find people on Twitter? I want to Tweet with people....communicate back and forth with them. To put it bluntly, I feel like a LOSER!

Anyone out there in blog land that can help me? TIA!

Nancy