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!