Fetching Some Air

As if you needed another reason to head down to Discovery Green this weekend, here's one more: Dock Dogs! Yes, the time-honored "dog performance sport" of leaping off docks and catching crazy air will be going on all weekend at the downtown park. If you thought the Lumberjack Games were the most ludicrous yet highly entertaining sport you've ever seen, then you haven't witnessed the majesty of Dock Jumping.

In this sport, dogs of all breeds (not just Labrador Retrievers) are encouraged -- usually through the use of a ball or toy -- to take high-speed, running jumps off a purpose-built dock. They fly gracefully -- and sometimes not-so-gracefully -- through the air before splashing down in the water. Where the dog's tail hits the water marks the length of their jump, all of which is captured and reviewed with high-speed cameras. The dogs are competing for either the highest jump or the longest jump, depending on the category. Categories include the big air wave (longest jump), the speed retrieve and the extreme vertical (highest jump).

All of these competition categories will be on display this weekend, as the Dock Dogs compete against one another for cash prizes that will hopefully be spent by their owners on new chew toys and a couple of marrow bones for the winners. Dogs are ranked by amateur, semi-pro and pro, with the big finals in each tier on Sunday afternoon.

Each day's events begins with open dock practice, where the competitions gets wet and warmed up. Friday's first competitive event starts at 10:00 a.m. with big air and the day ends with the gravity-defying extreme vertical at 7:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday's events both begin at 9:00 a.m. with big air. Saturday ends at 7:00 p.m. with the fast-paced speed retrieve, while Sunday wraps up at 3:30 p.m. with the pro finals.

Dock Dogs will be great fun for people (and dogs) of all shapes and sizes, and a great way to break in Discovery Green if you haven't already done so. For more information, check out the Dock Dogs website or call the number below. Of course, if you can't make it out this weekend, you can always catch Dock Jumping on TV -- the Outdoor Channel, not the Ocho.

Photo courtesy of flickr user Steve Collins Photography.

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Dock Dogs
Friday, June 27th through Sunday, June 29th
Discovery Green Park
713.400.7336