Leapin' Lenny - Dock Diving Dog

Update - Lenny's other activities

2011-10-08T11:46:00.005-04:00

Well, Lenny has been a very busy boy since the last post . . . . . so busy that his Mom hasn't had time to update his blog!

When Lenny is not participating in DockDogs, he is playing agility! Lenny & his Mom love agility. We began training, once/week, about a year and half ago, with a very knowledgeable and fun trainer, Cindy Boht. Lenny loves his Auntie Cindy and he loves to train.

We started trialing just about a year ago, and we have both improved nicely in that time. We have earned our Agility Dog of Canada title - Sep 10/11 at a K9 Klubhouse trial in Pickering - very exciting!

The aim of agility is to get a qualifying run, or Q, which means the dog & handler ran the course with no faults and within the time limit. A team needs to achieve 3 Q's in Starter Standard in order to earn their Agility Dog of Canada title. Here is Lenny's 3rd Q at the K9 Klubhouse trial in Sept which earned us our ADC:

I'm very, very proud of my boy!! He tries 150% every time!

DockDogs on the RMR-Feb 12/11

2011-02-23T22:13:00.007-05:00

The Rick Mercer Report came to a World Qualifier DockDogs event in Toronto at Downsview Park on Sat Feb 12/11. He was there all day between the DockDogs area and the rest of Pet Funfest. What a crazy Canuck - he actually jumped in the pool!! Freezing water, dirty dog-hair infested water!! It was a hoot!!! Here is a clip of the show:

Lenny & I are just after the 6:25 min mark! (right after the German Shepherd) We didn't know we would be on till I watched the tv show when it aired!! How exciting is that??!!!

1000 Islands DockDogs at the Kingston Sheepdog Trials Aug 7-9/09

2009-08-15T12:50:00.009-04:00

photo by muddypawz

1000 Islands DockDogs 2nd event of the season was held at beautiful Grass Creek Park on the St Lawrence River as part of the 21st annual Kingston Sheepdog Trials. We had another successful event with large crowds on all three days, and, only about 1 1/2 hours of rain the entire weekend!!! That is newsworthy!!! The sun actually shone for 2 days in a row!!!! It was hot, sunny, and there were lots & lots of spectators. This event had lots to see & do - from lumberjacks to a raptor show:

We had lots & lots of jumping dogs and high flying action!

Ken & Luther

Our farthest travelled visitor - Cheryl Newman of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia,
with her two flat-coated retrievers - a first time DockDogger!

Bond taking a leap!

Miss Roo revving up . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . taking off . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . got it!!

Our command post for the weekend

Dog Days of Scugog, Port Perry - Jul 17-19, 2009

2009-07-29T23:41:00.020-04:00

Dog Days of Scugog is one of my favourite DD events of the season - it is close to home and is part of an "everything dogs" weekend. This was our 5th event of this season and oh, what an event!!

Lenny placed 1st in Semi-Pro Finals with a new personal best jump (and longest jump of the weekend) of 23'4"!!!

Here is a clip of Lenny's winning jump, courtesy of Kathrene Peterson - thank you Kathrene!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBtVakOQHMI Please click on this link

Lenny's jumps for the weekend were:

Semi-Pro Finals: 21'6", 23'4"

Waves: 19'11", 20'10", 19'5", 18', 19'1", 20', 20'7", 20'8", 20'2", 20'3", 20'3", 21'3"

Speed Retrieve - 7.375secs, 7.610secs - didn't make it into SR Finals

EV - caught 5'6" placing 1st in Cadet

Lenny reaching for the bumper

One of Melissa Vig's dogs getting Big Air!

The Wildman, Cosmos, flying high - beautiful form

Hard working DD staff

Setting up the EV rig for practice

Bracebridge Summerfest - Jul 11-12, 2009

2009-07-29T23:39:00.013-04:00

Our third event of the DD season, Bracebridge Summerfest was an exciting event and a Worlds Qualifier set in the heart of the Muskokas. This was a small event which made it very relaxed and alot of fun. There were mostly Ontario teams there, but there were also 3 teams from the U.S. competing for a chance to go to the World Championships in Stillwater, MN Jul 23-26/09.

Me & my kid having fun!

Major Tom's got his eye on that duck in the Speed Retrieve competition!

Lenny did very well at this event, placing 2nd in the Semi-Pro Finals. It was a very exciting competition as Lenny's first jump in the Finals was just 1 inch shorter, at 21' 1", than the leading team of Tom Dropik & Rocky at 21' 2". On our second jump, Lenny came back with a very respectable 21' 5", but Tom & Rocky won it with a 22' 5" jump. They sure gave us a run for the money!! We had a great time!! The weather was actually pretty decent as well - we had sunny skies on Sat & Sun while there were wicked storms, including hail, at home. We picked a good weekend to leave town!

Lenny's distances for the weekend were:

Semi-Pro Finals 21' 1" and 21' 5"
Waves 21' 8", 21' 8", 21' 1", 19' 11", 20' 11", 21' 3", 21' 9", 21' 9"

Speed Retrieve qualifying round 9.28 secs, 8.138 secs. Finals 8.005 secs, 7.621 secs placed 6th in Finals

EV grabbed 5' 8" . . . . . woohooooo!!!

Last 4 images courtesy of Jim Zelasko

1000 Islands DockDogs FIRST Event - Riverfest in beautiful Brockville, ON - Jul 1-5, 2009

2009-07-25T13:59:00.022-04:00

Welcome to Ontario's 2nd DockDogs Affilliate Club - 1000 Islands DockDogs - covering Eastern Ontario, and . . . . . . our very first event . . . . . Riverfest, Brockville, ON !!!!
Huge thanks have to go out to Karen Larocque who made the dream to have a 2nd DD club in Eastern ON a reality. Huge thanks also to her husband, Mark, who has been involved every step of the way and been a very, very big support to Karen. All of the board members have worked very, very hard to make 1000 Islands DD a thriving new club and our first event a resounding success!!! Woohooooooooooo!!! Brockville, Kingston, and Ottawa loved us!!!! And, they want us back next year . . . .so mark you calendars . . . . . Riverfest 2010 . . . Jul 1-4 !!

Board Members - BR: Heather, Kelly, Karen, Judy; FR: Cathie, Chic, Stephanie

Also pictured: Larry (DD Nat'l Rep), Rachel (Stephanie's Mom), Riley (Kelly's son)

I think Blockhouse Island in downtown Brockville has been one of the MOST beautiful & picturesque venues for a DD event ever!! The St Lawrence river on one side and a stunning yacht club harbour on the other . . . what better place for a DD event than to be surrounded by water!!

You can see the St. Lawrence River in the background

We had a huge crowd on Canada Day - the first day of our event! The clear water in the pool came right out of the St. Lawrence!

Huge freighter going by on the St. Lawrence River

I'm sure I speak for the other board members when I say that we were fairly nervous about our first event being 5 days, but it went better than expected and we all had sooooo much fun!!! From the huge crowds on Wed, Canada Day, and Sun, the Finals, to the rain in the days in between and even a micro-burst, which was as close to a tornado as we would want to be, everything ran very smoothly. Participants had lots of practice time; they were able to have one-on-one instruction with Heather McLeod, our DD certified Sportmutt trainer, and there were lots & lots of personal bests achieved over the course of the event.

Roo went off the dock for the fist time on the first day of our event. We tried to coax her off after her toy, but then decided she might better jump off after Lenny. So, we brought Lenny up on the dock, threw the toy for him, then for Roo, and on the third try . . . .off she leapt!! She was positively hooked after that - you couldn't keep her away from the dock - she LOVES dock diving!! She achieved a personal best jump of 9' 4" and placed 2nd in the Novice Finals as well as earning her Novice Title.

Roo leaping off the dock in her first-ever competition

Chic achieved a new personal best jump of 13' 10" and placed 6th in the Junior Finals.

Air - borne Chic!!

This was our third event of the season and Lenny had a very good week. He placed first in Masters Finals with a 22' jump. His BA jumps for the week were:
18' 7", 22' 6", 20' 6", 19' 3", 20' 8", 20' 4", 19' 9", 22' 10", 21' 1", 21' 8", 20' 8", 22' 1", 21' 4", 22'1"

Speed Retrieve: 7.75 secs & 7.14 secs in Heat #2; Finals - 6.89 secs & 7.62 secs for a second place finish

In Extreme Vertical: Lenny grabbed 5'2" for a 3rd place finish

Here are some pics from the week:

Blockhouse Island, Brockville, ON

Set-up day - the day before the event begins

Registration, Information, Raffle tent - courtesy of Riverfest management

Our Ribbons

Of course, we had to have cake to celebrate our 1st event!!

Riley & Garrett squeeging the dock in the pouring rain - this was shortly before the micro-burst

After the micro-burst . . . . . that was our announcer/judging tent

Some of the banners from the dock nearly landed in the St. Lawrence River!

Some of the competitors:

Mark & Bond . . . . . yea, Bond jumped!!!

Karen Sandford's little dog, Rigby . . . . Rigby played it safe and always wore his life jacket

One of Melissa Vig's dogs flying high

Gary Goyette's dog, Maiah, looks like she can walk on water

Maiah flying after her toy

Paul & Rudder

Stephanie & Phoebe, the flying beagle

This shot is during tear down - with a beautiful full moon reflecting off the St. Lawrence River

Following is a music video put together for 1000 Islands DockDogs by Dale C. Elliott of Brock News set to an original song written & performed especially for 1000 Islands DockDogs by the local group Trance Pose - Dan Schaafsma & Mike Willie. We cannot thank these people enough for all they have done for us - thank you guys!!! This video shows all 3 disciplines of DockDogs - Big Air, Extreme Vertical, and Speed Retrieve.

Note: Lenny can be seen at these time intervals in the video: 35 seconds, 1min 35 secs, and 1 min 57 secs; Chic can be seen at 1 min 12 secs

Please click on the link below . . . . . . enjoy!!

http://www.brocknews.ca/rockthedockvideo.html

Riverfest was a blast . . . . we can't wait for 2010!!!

DockDogs - London International Food Festival - Jun 26-27, 2009

2009-07-25T11:30:00.018-04:00

Our second event of the DockDogs season was the London International Food Festival. Lenny & I headed to London Fri night to be ready for our first jump on Sat morning. The DockDogs competition was held in beautiful Victoria Park. This is a huge park in downtown London, with many, many large mature trees . . . very, very nice location. There was shade over the pool for a portion of the day . . . it was just lovely. There was a good turnout of spectators, in spite of the weather . . . . yes, it rained on & off for most of the weekend. The sun did, however, come out on Sun for Finals.

Lenny finished the weekend taking 3rd place in Pro Finals with a 20' 5" jump. His BA results for the weekend were:
19' 5", 18' 5", 19' 3", 20' 5", 19' 3", 17' 8", 20' 2", 22', 20' 9", and 20'

Speed Retrieve: 7.215 secs and 7.105 secs for 3rd place

Extreme Vertical: successfully grabbed 5' 8" for 2nd place Cadet. I am thrilled with Lenny's EV effort as we have really been struggling with this discipline. I know he has a 6' + grab in him - we just have to find it!!

Lenny grabbing 5' 8" in EV !

Big Air leap!

Lenny launching off the dock in BA!

3rd Place Pro Finals !

Lenny's ribbons from the weekend in London

(1st, 2nd & 4th photos by Deb Hitchins Photography)

Clay's Bark in the Park 2009 - DockDogs

2009-06-09T07:23:00.014-04:00

Our first event of the 2009 DockDogs season!! Clay's Bark in the Park in North Lawrence, OH was a blast! There were over 600 teams entered for the weekend, two pools and lots of sunshine & fun!! Lenny & I didn't make it into the Finals on Sun, but we sure had a great time.
There were some HUGE jumps over the weekend, with the winning jump in BA coming in at a whopping 27' 7" from Dart & Pam Karr . . .Dart makes it look so darn easy!! There were 4 jumps over the weekend of 27' + . . . . . . a team needed over a 24' jump to make it into Finals!!
Jordan & Sean McCarthy swept Speed Retrieve again with an amazing 4.968 seconds!! This team also had a BA qualifying jump of 26'11"! Ares & Jeff Wells won EV with an incredible 7' 2" grab!

It was quite a trip down . . . it seemed to take forever to get out of Buffalo! First, we went to the wrong restaurant to meet Karen & Mark. Finally made it to the right one, had lunch, then I just had to take some pics of this hotel that we saw on the way to the second restaurant . . .it was amazing.

Welcome to Ohio!

We drove in & out of rain, sometimes very heavy, most of the way down

Finally made it to Clay's Park!

A very beautiful, huge camping park

Getting ready for EV

Ready . . . . . Get it, get it, get it!!!

Karen, Bond, & Mark

had this caricature done at the park

Our new club . . . . Canada's 2nd Affiliate DockDogs club

Lenny trying on some bathing suits

Mark & Bond waiting in line for practice in the pool

Roo's first time on the dock!!! She didn't go off this time but she will!

This was the set-up for Clay's Park . . . . lots & lots of room!

The kids checking out their crates with new crate covers made by Auntie Vickie

Jett going for the DFT in Speed Retrieve

This little guy LOVED getting his toy & his little tail would wag the whole time he was in the water . . . .just like a little rudder!

This golf cart was the best thing for the weekend

Chic & Roo relaxing between waves

This is EV!!

What's a park without a campfire with good friends & bevvies?

On the way down to Ohio, we found this dog park just across the border into Buffalo. We stopped on the way down and on the way back home. We met these guys in the park during our stop on the way home. These staffies were adorable (no Breed Specific Legislation there) and this Great Dane was soooooo handsome!

Also on our way home, we stopped in Niagra-on-the-Lake for supper and found this neat little restaurant that had the most charming patio out back - it was lovely! This place had great food too! I wanted to take this bird sculpture home!

Clay's Bark in the Park was a really great time. I would definitely plan to go back next year!

Putting the Water in at the Cottage - May 16/09

2009-05-21T21:29:00.004-04:00

Cathie & the kids on the beach

Chic

Miss Roo . . .she's a water baby!!

Thank God for tall people & chest waders!!!

The water going in for the season

After the Bath

2009-05-21T21:22:00.004-04:00

Had to give Lenny a bath last night b/c he spent a bit of time in a swampy, mucky part of the woods on our walk . . . .he was filthy . . . .caked on mud almost everywhere!! After I bathed him, I went downstairs on the computer for awhile & when I was ready to go up to bed, I went to put him out for his last whiz before bed . . . .and there he was on the couch (his couch in the recroom) . . . . looking as comfortable as could be!!! Not really sure just how he got under the afghan, but it wasn't bothering him in the least!

Lenny Has Another Cousin!

2009-05-06T22:35:00.007-04:00

Meet Lenny's other cousin, who lives with us . .. .she is a border collie named Roo! She is a cutie-pututie!!!

Roo's 6 month birthday was on Sunday, May 3!! She had a great birthday day - she went to visit sheep in the morning, then we went to the woods to run & swim in the pond & creeks, and then . .. we went to swim at the therapy pool . . . .we had very, very tired puppies in the van on the way home but, oh what a fun day was had by all!!!

Tara, Coco, and Roo - first-timers at the pool have to wear their life jackets!!

Roo & Coco (we were looking after Coco for the weekend)

Roo & Coco having fun at the therapy pool!

Lenny getting a workout on the underwater treadmill!

Tired, happy puppies!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LENNY!!

2009-04-13T21:18:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone! Lenny here. I turned 3 years old today! I had a great day!! Mostly I slept on my mom's bed all day waiting for her to get home from work so we could do some fun stuff. She finally got home & we went to the woods . . . . . I love it in the woods . . . I run & run & run & try to catch those pesky squirrels, but they always seem to get up the trees faster than me.

When we got home, I had to stay behind the babygate at the back door cause Mom said I was all dirty . . .. I don't know what she expects . . . jeeze . . . .you can't run through the woods through all the puddles & stuff and not get dirty!! I know what that means . . . .I'm probably headed for the shower before too long . . . . I'm really good now . . . .I just walk right in the bathroom & walk right into the shower-tub . . . . . Mom doesn't even have to say anything anymore. I'm not really impressed with having to get so many baths, but boy, do I ever feel great afterwards!!!

Well, I had my bath and then guess what? Mom had some birthday treats for me. I asked her to include some of the pics in here. . .see them, see them??!! I had a yummy chocolate cupcake and a cupcake with sprinkles all over it and a bone cookie with sprinkles on half . . . .WOW!! They sure were yummy!!!

Mmmmmm . . . . . . good!!!

2008 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - STILLWATER, MN - Update

2009-03-15T20:05:00.032-04:00

Finally, my pics of Lenny & me from the DockDogs World Championships 2008

Stillwater, MN Jul 24-27

First item of business - get the portrait picture taken

Then . . . . . Get it, get it, get it!!!!

Big Air - Wave #1

Big Air - Wave #2

Getting set for EV!

Jaws!

Big Air - Wave #3

2008 DD World Championships Group Photo

Travelling companions

Relaxing after the event

I'm proud of my kid!

Therapeutic Swim Pool

2009-03-08T21:21:00.004-04:00

We have found a wonderful location to take the dogs for swim practice . . . . . CWC in Toronto. Tara is awesome . . .so friendly & helpful. The water is warm & the dogs always smell sooooo good afterwards. Their coats are oh so soft as well! The dogs love going here - helps to keep them in shape for DockDogs season! The first time the kids went in the pool (these pics), they had to wear life-jackets - for safety sake - in case they had trouble swimming {not likely :) } and it also gives Tara a means to hold onto them & keep control.

Here is Lenny his first time at the pool. First he gets on the treadmill to be lowered into the water:

Now, it's Chic's turrn:

This is soooo much fun! We have been a few times now - we usually go about every 3 weeks. It is a wonderful place . . . .this is actually a therapeutic pool for dogs to do re-hab from injury or surgery.

Lenny's new cousin

2009-03-08T21:15:00.005-04:00

Introducing Lenny's new little cousin, Woodstock . . . . .Woody for short! Here he is . . . an 8 week old Jack Russell terrier. What a cutie! We haven't met Woody yet, but really look forward to our first visit.

Here is a little clip of Woody & Foofer (Foofer was given to the Kincardine Vodden family many years ago and somehow he has survived living with a few dogs . . . . Foofer would last maybe 1/2 hour at our house!!!)

Porcupines DO NOT make good play buddies!!

2009-01-04T00:05:00.003-05:00

Well, Lenny had his first encounter with a porcupine this afternoon at my girlfriend's near Peterborough, ON.

We were out for a walk through the fields behind her house, and he took off into the woods. Next thing, I hear him yelping . . .wasn't sure if he was hurt or not b/c he also yelps like that when he sees a squirrel in the trees above him. I whistled, and whistled, and finally he came out of the woods (not moving very quickly) and pawing franticly at his muzzle. I thought, oh f***, what has he gotten into . . . .then as he got closer I could see what it was. The left side of his face, his left shoulder & part way down his left leg all had quills, and his mouth was FULL of quills!!! It was horrible. We got back to the house & my girlfriend called the Vet service in Peterborough; the on-call vet called back in about 5 mins and so we were off to Peterborough to get the quills removed.

Lenny was a very, very good boy throughout the whole ordeal. He was very well-behaved and even let the vet take a quick peek inside his mouth to see the damage. We needed to leave him there for about an hour, so we went to the new Costco in town, which my girlfriend had never been to, and looked around there.

When we got back to pick Lenny up, the vet said there were alot in, right through, and under his tongue & there had been a lot of bleeding. She said there is one in his chin & one in his cheek that she had to cut, and she said they will likely abcess & then the quill can be removed which will relieve the abcess. So, I have to keep an eye on those and any other unusual swelling that may occur.

Lenny was a bit like a drunk sailor when we picked him up so when we got back to her house, he snoozed on his blanket while we had some dinner & played cards. He is sleeping contentedly now in his bed upstairs. He has perked up some since we picked him up and should be fine by morning. He is on antibiotics for 10 days.

I told him yesterday that we were going on a big adventure today, but I certainly did not have this in mind! I hope we never go through this again!! My other two dogs, Ranii & Scalla never did run into a porcupine, but they did get mixed up with a skunk a time or two.

It seems to be prime porcupine territory at my girlfriend's so I think I will be much more careful where Lenny ventures when we visit there. I would never have considered running into a porcupine on a cold winter's day!

To the Woods on Boxing Day 2008

2009-01-02T09:47:00.010-05:00

Lenny is always on the lookout for squirrels!!

I just love the ice formations on the creek

I think there's something in those trees!

This beautiful woods is only 2 mins from our house!

After our walk in the woods, we drove down to the lake to see the waves as it was a VERY windy day - lots of homes in Ontario lost power for several days after this wind storm!

Unfortunately, the battery on my camera died after just two pics!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-28T17:32:00.007-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

HAPPY NEW YEAR - ALL THE BEST FOR 2009!

Chic opening her gift bag

Annie helping Grandma open her gifts

Annie opening her gift bag

Lenny getting into his gift bag

Mom's surprise Christmas present

Meet Tiny Tim

Lenny & Chic Playing after big snowstorm

2008-12-20T01:26:00.006-05:00

We had our first big snowstorm last Fri (Dec 19/08) . . . . the College was closed at 3pm . . . . semi snowday!! The kids went out in the back yard the next evening & had a blast tearing around in the new snow. Chic found a ball buried under the snow and then Lenny proceded to try to get it from her . . . . to no avail!!

I love this pic!!

Ultimate Air Dogs - Ohio - Nov 22-23/08

2008-12-01T20:51:00.021-05:00

Nov 22-23/08, we were off to Cleveland, OH to our first Ultimate Air Dogs event - what a great weekend! Cath & I, Lenny, Chic and Pip - road trip!!

We had an awesome weekend - Lenny came 1st in Master division Finals with a 22' 7" jump!!! We were given free toys when we registered, and one of them was a Jolly Ball - Lenny LOVES that thing! So we switched frsual newfie tennll to the new jolly ball and, I guess it paid off!!!

Somewhere in Pennsylvania

Cleveland, OH

Progressive Field - Home of the Cleveland Indians

King bed - room for everyone!

This is what we came for (well, actually, we came for the dock jumping) woohooooooo!!!

The pool!!!! (7am Sat morning - notice the empty hall)

Lots of gear with sports dogs

When do WE get to go??!!!

Furkids home away from home (we later moved to another area nearby)

Let the jumping begin:

Sarah-Simone & Forest Gumpy

Bill Helfer & Jazzie

Cathie & Chic

Stephanie Hounsell & Major Tom

Stephanie & Phoebe (the flying beagle)

Bridgette & Lance (the spotted Labrador)

The kids waiting for another turn - Pip didn't jump, but she got lots of socialization over the weekend

A couple of Lenny's jumps

The pool & hall later Saturday afternoon

Entertainer with his dogs in the demonstration area

This little guy climbed his way up right from the bottom!

On the way home Sun night, we decided to stop off in Niagra Falls to see the Festival of Lights - I'm glad we stopped! It was beautiful! I can't remember the last time I was in Niagra Falls . . . . the main part of downtown sure has changed . . . . very glittery & tourist trap looking!! But, very impressive!! It was a really nice detour.

Main Strip:

Festival of Lights

Skylon Tower & Casino

The Falls lighted - quite specatcular!

A Sunday in the Woods

2008-11-11T07:27:00.012-05:00

A few weeks ago (before the cold & snow set in), Lenny & I went out to Long Sault Conservation are, which is north & a little east of Oshawa . . . . it has several very nice trails of varying lengths. It was a gorgeous sunny fall day . . . .just perfect for exploring the woods.

Did you know that Milkweed has one of the prettiest flowers out there - before it dries out & lets it's silk go on the wind?

Lenny loves nothing better (well, except dock diving!) than to run through the woods, always on the lookout for squirrels

I very seldom can get a pic of Lenny standing still in the woods!

DOCK DOGS NATIONALS - WHAT A TRIP!!

2008-10-15T21:03:00.048-04:00

We're back from the Nationals in Richfield, WI . . . . what an awesome trip!! Unfortunately, Lenny didn't place in the finals in any of our divisions, but he did his best & we both had a great time!!

His results are as follows:

17th out of 61 teams in Master division

24th ouf of 34 teams in Elite division

Somewhere in the middle of the field for Speed Retrieve . . . .his 2 speeds were 7.33 secs and 7.29 secs

DNQ in EV - this is becoming our nemisis - just can't figure out where to place him on the dock

All of his BA jumps all weekend were 20-21' so he was very consistent. He had a very good time everytime we got on the dock . . . . that's the main thing . . . . it was so much fun!!! The best part was Sun morning as they were finished using the one pool so it was Open Dock!!! Woohoooo . . . .I jumped his long legs off!!! It was sweet!!!

There were 9 Ontario teams who went to Nationals so Canada was well represented. Most of the other teams did very well. Only 3 of the 9 or 10 ON dogs did not make it into any Finals . . . . . . ON dockdogs rock!!!

Pics of Lenny will be posted when I get the disc from Steve . . . still working on that . . . sorry! In the meantime, here are some pics of the trip down . . . the fall colours were beautiful. We could not have asked for better weather for the weekend - it was awesome!!!

On our way . . . . at the Canada/US border

They let us in!

The leaves on the way down were just beautiful!

Checking on Christine

Stopped for lunch!

The kids rode in style!

Cheyenne, Diesel, and Koya

I thought this was the strangest name for a bank!

Chicago . . . . here we come!

Hi Oprah!!

Next stop - Wisconsin!

Wisconsin is well know for cheese, beer, and apparently, Hallowe'en!

Finally made it to dinner around 9:30 Thurs night

Heather, Christine, Stephanie & her Mom, Rachel

Christine really liked those blue drinks!! (it really was blue!)

WE MADE IT . . . . WE ARE AT THE DD NATIONALS!!

Tent city

Christine & Silken

Showing Lenny the Duck for Speed Retrieve

GET IT . . . .GET IT . .. . GET IT!!!!!

Going for the grab at 6 feet!

Catching some Big Air in practice

Heather & Diesel

Stephanie & Phoebe, the Flying Beagle

The Dock Dogs Crew . . . the best!!!

The Dock Dogs trailer

Some teams travelled in comfort & style

Cabela's - Richfield, Wisconsin

Potluck - Friday night

At the Nationals Banquet - Saturday night (that would be me in the Afro!)

(It was a 70's theme for the Banquet!)

This was our first trip to Nationals, Lenny & me, and we had a great time. Can't wait for next year! It's going to be the 10th Anniv AND it'll be closer . . .. . .in Ohio somewhere!!

Wooohoooooooo!!!

DD NATIONALS - OCT 10-12/08

2008-09-22T12:32:00.004-04:00

Our last event of the season will be the DockDogs National Championships in Richfield, Wisconsin to be held on our Thanksgiving weekend . . . Oct 10-12/08. I am sooooo excited to be going . . .I can hardly wait!! There are 8 Ont dogs so far making the trip to Nationals. Only 5 more sleeps!!! (actually posting this on Oct 5th!) Stay tuned . . . . . . .

Dog Days of Scugog, July 18-20/08

2008-08-22T23:34:00.011-04:00

Dog Days of Scugog, in beautiful Port Perry, ON, is where it all started for Lenny & I in Dock Diving. It was one year ago this date, that I went up to have a look at what was going on at Dog Days, saw the DD pool there, asked some questions, watched the event, went home & looked up info on the internet and went to our very first event in Aug 2007. My how time flies, and what fun Lenny & I have had along the way!

Scugog this year was so much fun. We had beautiful sunny skies on Sat and then pouring rain & clouds most of Sunday, but we still had fun . . .doesn't get much better than that!!

Sat's BA results are: 21'2", 19'11", 20'4", 20'6"

Finals on Sun: Top 12 placed 3rd with 19' & 20'10"

Final Four - placed 3rd with 21' & 20'6"

Lenny successfully grabbed 5', 5'2", 5'4", 5'6", 5'8" & finished at 5'10"

SR results Fri: 6.78 secs, 6.64 secs Finals: 6.59 secs & 6.8 secs

SR results Sat: 7.27 secs, 7.09 secs Finals: 6.92 secs & 6.90 secs

The 4 ON DD Teams who went to the World Championships in Stillwater, MN at the end of July 2008

Erin & Chubby, Me & Lenny, Dawn & Jynx, Heather & Diesel

Me & my kid!! I'm so proud of him!!

(Photos by Deb Hitchins)

Carrotfest, Bradford, ON - Aug 16-17/08

2008-08-18T22:55:00.009-04:00

Carrotfest was sooooo much fun!! Didn't actually get to see the Carrotfest festivities which were on Main St, which was closed all day Sat for the event - but I heard there were lots of good things going on up there! I was busy at the last Dock Dogs club event for the year.

There were lots of new personal bests & it was a very good time. Mark & Karen made the trek from Brockville - it was fun to hang out with them again - Bond jumped a new PB of 16' 9" !!! And, Karen made it into the finals with Heather's dog Cheyenne where they placed 5th!!

Diesel jumped a new PB of 25' 11" !!! How awesome is that?!!

Lenny jumped well all weekend with one of his first jumps being 23' 0" !! That is his second Elite jump of the season - one National & one Regional. Lenny made it into the Pro Finals and placed 3rd - he's got a perfect record going - 3rd at Woofstock, 3rd at Scugog, and 3rd at Carrotfest in the Pro Finals.

His results for the weekend are as follows:

BA Top 12 Round One: 21'3" & 21'6"
Final Four: 22' & 21'8" placed 3rd

BA Wave #2: 19'6", 22' BA Wave #3: 23', 22'9" BA Wave #5: 21'8", 22'5"
BA Wave #6: 21'6", 21'11"

EV results: started at 5'6" and grabbed 5'8" placed 3rd

SR wave: 6.55 secs & 6.58 secs SR Finals: finished 4th with 6.70 secs & 6.67 secs

Some high flyin' . . . . .

Next up . . . EV (Extreme Vertical) . . . . .

Then . . . .SR (Speed Retrieve) . . . .

Photos by Deb Hitchins

World Championship Update

2008-08-10T22:37:00.049-04:00

Well, we made the trip to Stillwater, Minnesota and back . . .what a great experience!! We took 2 days to drive down & 2 days to drive back. On the way down, we missed the cutoff for Sarnia so ended up crossing at Windsor. We were delayed at the border b/c Heather forgot her birth certificate . . . that was a fun start to the trip!!! :) But then it was smooth sailing from there. We arrived at our hotel in Hudson, Wisconsin (about 20 mins & across the St Croix river from Stillwater, MN) late Wed night.

Our first night's stay was in Marhsall, Michigan. This lake was a little too smelly for the kids to swin in - Lenny & Diesel didn't seem to mind too much.

On day 2 of the trip down, we stopped at an automotive business of friends of Heather's for a surprise visit:

This was only half of this aisle of tires!

Everyone had to be at the event in Stillwater by 8am Thurs for portrait pictures taken by the DockDogs photographer, Steve Lankford. Steve did an amazing job all weekend long & reportedly took over 4000 pics!!!

Lenny handled the whole trip pretty well in spite of all the crating he had to endure in the vehicle and at the venue (he is not a happy camper in his crate). He sure was happy to get home to his own bed at the end of the trip! (I am pleased to report that I have since purchased a new, much larger crate for Lenny & he is much happier in this one)

This was really a learning experience for me. I learned that I don't handle the pressure of high-level competition very welll!! And, this went straight down the leash to Lenny which affected his performance very noticeably. But, live & learn!

It was still awesome to see all the top teams from across North America competing in one fabulous location. I met & saw some of the teams I have only read about on the forums which was pretty cool. I met some very nice people who gave me advice, made me laugh, and shared some fun times.

One portion of the weekend I will NEVER forget was the almost tornado that blew through on Saturday afternoon! An announcement was made to clear the bleachers because there were storms on the radar. Shortly after making our way to the competitor's area, a siren went off. I turned to someone & asked what that was . . . .tornado siren!! Great!! Within minutes, the wind picked up, the rain started & Grant told us to grab our dogs & get under the big event tent, which everyone did very, very quickly. I grabbed the top off of our ez-up and got Lenny & got under the tent. The dogs were amazing during the storm . . . . they were crammed against each other (strange dogs) and there wasn't a single growl or snap that I know of. Then the wind really started to blow, some of the legs of the tent lifted, and some people's ez-ups were crumpled and/or blown away!! It only lasted probably 10 or 15 minutes, but it was one of the scariest moments of my life!! Some people didn't even make it under the event tent . . . they were out in the storm trying to hold onto their ez-ups!! Then, just like that it was over & in minutes there was bright sunshine, blue skies, and big fluffy white clouds again. Everyone pitched in and the compeition was back up & running in less than an hour.

This was just minutes after the storm passed through . . .bright sunshine & blue skies!!

Sunday was the Semi-Finals & Finals. What an exciting day of competition. The DD World Championships were held in conjunction with Lumberjack Days which is a huge summer festival in Stillwater. The event organizers had the dogs & lumberjacks competing together . . .it was awesome!!

There was the first ever Iron Dog competition which is for dogs who excel in all three disciplines of Dock Diving: Big Air, Extreme Vertical, and Speed Retrieve. The winning team was Chuck Mann & Rebel from Louisiana. They won a Polaris ATV, a Stihl chainsaw & first prize money!

The Speed Retrieve was very exciting . . . . . 2 World Records were set by the same team over the weekend - Sean McCarthy & Jordan! They broke the World Record on Thurs in qualifiers, and then broke their own record in the finals on Sunday giving them the win! Just as exciting was that one of the Ontario teams, Dawn & Jynx, came second in Speed Retrieve . . . .second only to a world record holder!! Jynx is the 2007 Lapdog of the year and the first World qualifiying Lapdog.

The Big Air Champions were Rande Murphy & Quasi with an awesome 27'8" jump!! This young dog jumped 27'+ twice in a row!! It was really something to see.

The Extreme Vertical Champions were Melissa Ness & Stryker with a grab of 7'6". The winning team is allowed to take one more jump to try for a personal best. Stryker grabbed 7'8" & made it look easy . . . .it was just incredible to see!!

Also on Sunday, was the Dogs n Logs Speed Retrieve Relay where DockDog teams paired with a lumberjack. When a dog completed their swim to grab the duck at the end of the pool, his "teammate" lumberjack would do one of the lumberjack elements: climb the 60' pole, cut a log with the crosscut saw, or chop a log. It was very, very exciting & fun to watch. This was the first ever SR relay, so there were some wrinkles to iron out, but the organizers figured it out by the time the final heat was run. When one of the last dogs to go wouldn't jump in the pool, his lumberjack "teammate" all of a sudden came running up the dock, dove in the pool, & swam down to the end to grab the duck down! It was great fun & sportsmanship!!

I'm very glad Lenny & I got the opportunity to go to the World Championships . . .it was a lifetime experience for both of us.

Here are some more pics from the World Championships:

The venue was right beside a harbour - very beautiful.

This was the dock setup - the blue strip is the side of the pool & the dock is to the left of this. You can also see behind the pool the 60' poles the lumberjacks climbed.

There was also a jumbo-tron so the fans wouldn't miss any of the action.

Jay Harris became very fond of Erin's Spencer - the feeling was NOT mutual!!

We caught up to Jay on the way down! What a way to travel!

Somewhere in Wisconsin! Almost there!

Thanks Stillwater . . . .we'll never forget this trip!!

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - STILLWATER, MN

2008-07-08T23:31:00.006-04:00

WOOHOOOOOOOOOO!!! Lenny & I received our invite to the World Championships in Stillwater, Minnesota which will run Jul 24-27/08 !!! I am sooooo excited!!! I still can hardly believe it!!! Heather & Diesel, Erin & Chubby, and Dawn & Jinx, also from the Ont DockDogs club, have been invited as well.

Lenny qualified in Big Air and in EV!!

Here is our invitation:

Bracebridge - Muskoka Summerfest - Jun 27-29/08

2008-07-03T10:56:00.019-04:00

As you come into town, this is what you see . . . .spectacular falls!!

The pump house . . . .these falls are operated by Bracebridge Power

Noticed this really cool "seam" in the water . . . . just the way it was flowing against the peer.

The kids stayed very well even with the tempation of all that water!!

We had a blast at the Muskoka Summerfest, in spite of the rain! It was a small event so very relaxed and a lot of fun! Lenny did very well as did Chic getting a new PB of 9' 4" !!

Lenny came 2nd in Pro Finals and 2nd in Speed Retrieve - both behind Heather & Diesel!! Lenny jumped a new PB in BA of 23' 1" !! And a new PB in SR of 6.75 secs!

This was my first visit to Bracebridge . . . what an awesome little town. It is absolutely beautiful and has tons of neat shops & restaurants. The main street is quite long & very interesting. We were very glad we got Fri afternoon to check it out a little bit. I finally have some pics, so here they are:

Blair & Jesse catching some air

Cath & Chic . . . . . get that duck!

Here are Lenny's results from the weekend:

Fri 6pm 23' 1" 22' 6" , Sat 1pm 18' 3" 21' 7", Sat 3:30pm 18' 9" 21' 11", Sun 12pm 19' 8" 20' 10",

BA Pro Finals on Sun 20' 1" & 20' 11" for second place behind Diesel.

Sat 6pm Speed Retrieve 6.75 secs & 7.41 secs - again finishing second behind Diesel

It was a great weekend!!!

Woofstock - Jun 7-8, 2008

2008-06-11T19:52:00.032-04:00

Mark, Lenny, Blair, Cathie, & Karen relaxing between waves.

Woofstock was a blast!! And blasting hot!! It was so much fun to hang out with Dock Dog friends & share some laughs, good treats, & jello . . . oh the jello!!

It was very, very tempting for the handlers to "fall" into the pool!

Lenny had an awesome weekend!! He achieved an new PB of 22' 10" !!! He came 3rd in the Final Four for BA; he won EV; and he came 2nd in Speed Retrieve in his first ever SR competition!

Here are his results for the weekend:

Wave #1 Sat 10am 22' 2" and 22' 2"

Wave #2 Sat 1pm 19' 3" and 22' 10"

Wave #4 Sun 10am 19' 9" and 19' 5"

Wave #5 Sun 1pm 20' 9" and 21' 4"

Speed Retrieve (SR) first lap 8.55 secs & second lap 6.98 secs

EV 5'8"

One of Lenny's BA jumps - looks like it may have been the 22' + !!

Lenny doing Speed Retrieve - he LOVES that duck!!!

Cath & Chic getting ready!

Cath & Chic had a great weekend too - after Chic recovered from a mysterious lameness on Sat!

Here are their results from the weekend:

Wave #4 Sun 10am 6' 8" and 5' 4"

Wave #5 Sun 1pm 7' 9" and 7' 8" (new PB!!)

6th in Novice Finals!

Flying Dogs!

Blair & Jesse getting ready for their jump

And, some more pics of Leapin' Lenny!!

Hi flyin' EV Lenny!

Lenny's first ever try at Speed Retrieve!

FRANKENMUTH DOG BOWL - Frankemuth, MI - May 23-25

2008-06-09T12:21:00.032-04:00

Frankenmuth, MI is the most beautiful little town - I know now why it is such a tourist destination! I am very disappointed we didn't have more time to explore all the neat shops & amazing things this town has to offer - who knew??. Next year, I'll definitely build in a couple of extra days for touring after the event!

What an amazing DD weekend! We had so much fun! Lenny did great! I entered him in one wave on Sat as well as EV, and one wave on Sun. All of his jumps were 20' plus except one. He achieved his National Masters title this weekend!! In EV he made it to 6' against some very stiff comptetition. Thanks to Bill Helfer for all his help & advice in EV, and also thanks to Heather for her help, as always. Cathie & Chic had a great weekend as well with Chic also getting a new personal best of 7' !!!

A new team to the DD scene, a Belgian Malinois named Dart & his handler Pam Karr, wowed the crowds with an absolutely amazing performance. This dog, in his first ever EV competition, jumped from 5' to 7'2" to win the event & earn an invitation to the World Championships in July in Minnesota. We roughly calculated that this dog jumped at least 20 times to achieve the win and that was in addition to the Big Air waves he had already jumped in earlier in the day! Dart is outstanding at Big Air as well. On Sunday he landed not one, but two 26' plus jumps: 26'9" and 26'8" !! And he did this after the AMAZING effort the day before!! What a dog!!!

Here are some more pics . . . . . there are lots & these are only some of the many I had to choose from! Many thanks to all the people who had their cameras & shared their pics!

Chic taking a big leap!!

EV - watch it!

(Notice Lenny's beautiful Cdn collar courtesy Lin Gardinor - Funny Farm Boutique

http://www.funnyfarmboutique.ca/)

5'10"

Yessssssssssss!!!!! 6 FT!!

Oh No! Missed 6'2" !!

Big Air Semi-Pro Finals on Sunday - we placed 3rd!!

Speed Retrieve is the newest element of Dock Dogs competitions. It consists of a DFT (Dead Fowl Trainer) attahced to a rig at the far end of the pool and a timing system. The team starts 20ft back from the edge of the dock, then they send the dog to go after the DFT. The dog is timed on how quickly it can get to the DFT & pull it off the rig.

Bill & Jazzie competing in SR - this team made it in 6.75 seconds in the Finals.

If the water in the pool looks a little murky that's b/c it was . . . .they got it from the river on the other side of the venue . . .needless to say, the dogs were just a touch aromatic by the end of the weekend!

Heather & Cheyenne competing in SR

Lynda & Woody competing in Big Air

We had tons of fun in Frankenmuth & came home with lots of memories!

Frankenmuth, MI May 23-25/08

2008-05-30T10:12:00.001-04:00

The Frankenmuth DogBowl was a blast! Check back for updates as I sort through all the pics!

Dock Dogs - Frankenmuth, MI

2008-05-19T01:10:00.005-04:00

Wooohooooooooooo!!! Only 5 more sleeps until the Frankenmuth Dog Bowl!!! We are leaving Fri morning to drive to Michigan. Lenny is entered in one Big Air wave & EV on Sat, and one Big Air wave on Sun; hopefully he will make it into the Finals on Sun as well. I think Chic is entered in a BA wave on Sat & one on Sun. I'm very excited about going to Frankenmuth - it also is a qualifier for the World Championships. I am hoping Lenny will do very well in EV. Stay tuned!!

Lenny's First Agility Trial

2008-05-19T00:19:00.010-04:00

Sun, May 11th at a park in Pickering, Lenny entered his very first Agility trial! We went in 2 classes - Steeplechase & Starter Jumpers. Many thanks to my sister for helping me set-up & tear-down as well as Heather & Joanne for their help throughout the day.

Steeplechase consists of jumps & tunnels, but there is also the frame (which is a contact element), weave poles and each class started with the tire. Jumpers consists of jumps & tunnels only. Our classes were in the afternoon, but we had to be there very early in order for Lenny to be measured. The dog has to be measured by a judge to make official which division of the height of the jumps the dog will run in. Lenny is in the 26" division.

So, it was quite a long day, but interesting to watch the other classes & competitors. Lenny was a very good boy in his crate. The weather was a mix of sun & cloud, but the highlight of the day was the gale force winds which moved in mid-morning & continued all day.

When it came time for Lenny's first class, Steeplechase, he was, needless to say, feeling quite fresh & the cool temps & wind only fueled his enthusiasm! The course for the first class was: tire, jump, weave poles, frame, jump, jump, jump, frame, jump, jump, jump, tunnel (snaked under the frame), jump, tunnel, tunnel, jump. Well . . . .Lenny missed the tire & first jump completely, missed half the weave poles, flew over the frame (read no contacts!) the first time but did a little better the second time over b/c I remembered to ask him for a contact :) , got the next jumps & tunnel & jump, missed some of the next jumps and/or knocked down rails, headed for the frame instead of the tunnel on the way to the finish but I got him back on track & finished the course. I had a very difficult time keeping up with him . . . . .he's feeling like yahooooooooooo & speeding around the course!! I don't even know what our time was in the class (the scoring is time plus faults - the course must be completed within a set time & there are faults assigned to misses, knock downs etc much like horse show jumping) but I was certainly out of breath when we finished!!

The Jumpers class was actually much easier & went a bit better in that we worked together a little better. I still had a heck of a time keeping up to Lenny, but it was a more flowing course. If I remember correctly, this course layout was: tire, jump, jump, jump, tunnel, line of 4 jumps in a row, tunnel, jump, tunnel, jump, jump, jump to the finish. Lenny missed the tire & first jump again, was ok on the next jumps & tunnel, but then got ahead of me (no surprise!) and I had a bit of trouble getting him to settle for the next line of jumps. I got frustrated & placed him in a sit - that eliminated us from the class - you are not allowed to touch the dog in the ring - but I sort of forgot about that!! By the time we got to the last tunnel & line of 3 jumps, he was so far ahead of me, I just yelled out the elements & he did them! Check out the clip - it's kind of hard to see, but that is us going around the ring in the Jumpers class. . . . .

It was a fun, interesting day. I think we'll probably try some Agility trials again . . . . stay tuned!

Dock Class, Thurs May 1/08

2008-05-16T22:36:00.013-04:00

Vickie came with us this time to Guelph for Dock Diving 101. Sandra & Payton met us there later - Payton got a kick out of watching all the dogs jumping! Chic had a fabulous night & pushed off every time!!! Lenny had some really good jumps practicing EV.

Here's Chic . . . . . oops! This was a ker-plunk!

And Blair & Jesse . . . . . .

And John & Cosmos . . . . . .

And Lenny . . . . . .

(click on the play button under the screen)

Dock Class, Thurs Apr 17th

2008-04-19T17:52:00.011-04:00

Chic & Lenny went to Dock Class Thurs and both had a great night!

Chic pushed off for all of her jumps . . . a HUGE improvement for her!! Cathie was very, very pleased with her efforts. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics of Chic jumping b/c I was helping with her on the dock.

Lenny practiced EV and did great!

This last clip was at the end of the night & Lenny was getting tired - that's probably why he missed. We did one more jump after that, at a lower height, and called it a night.

Cottage Life Show

2008-03-31T22:49:00.032-04:00

What can I say?!! The Dock Dog event at the Cottage Life Show this year (Mar 28-30) was amazing!! What a blast! It was soooo much fun!! And this in spite of the "No Barking" rule which was laid down on Saturday . . . . yeah, right . . .this is a dog event . . .dogs bark!!!

Lenny did AWESOME!!!

Here are some pics of Lenny from his first ever EV Competition on Saturday. EV (Extreme Vertical) is the high jump portion of the event. A bumper is suspended by magnet on a rigging over the pool – it is 8ft out from the end of the dock & the height can range from 5ft to over 7ft. Check out the Alien Dog!!

LENNY PLACED 2ND IN HIS FIRST EVER EV COMPETITION!!!! He was competing against 3 or 4 other dogs and then it ended up being just between Lenny & Rebel, a U.S. dog. Because the other dogs had done this before & started at around 5ft 10in, Lenny had to successfully get the bumper, up to the same height & then the height went up from there as long as each dog continued to successfully get the bumper.
Lenny started at the mandatory 5 feet and jumped to 6 feet 2 inches!!! Rebel won the event with a jump of 6 feet 4 inches. Rebel also was allowed to jump again for a Personal Best score & successfully jumped 6ft 8in !!

Lenny put in an incredible effort . . . .he jumped 13 times in a row (including 4 jumps in practice right before the competition) and this was after jumping in 2 Big Air waves (the long distance jumps) earlier in the day (2 jumps in each wave, plus practice jumps). From the 5ft height, the height of the bumper increased 2in at a time.

And . . . . . . . . . . . . we may have qualified to go to the World Championships in Minnesota in July!!! (don’t know when we’ll find out for sure) Can you believe it??!!!! I am thrilled to pieces!

Here is Lenny in action - these are most of his jumps from EV on Saturday. He finally missed at 6ft 2in because he just plain ran out of steam . . . . what a HUGE effort he made . . . . that's my boy!!!

In the last 2 clips, notice the fella at the right side of the pool holding up the pup to take in all the action!

Lenny also finished 6th in the Big Air Semi-Pro Finals on Sunday and his best jump of the weekend was 19ft 5in!! He had 3 jumps of 19ft plus over the weekend. Each team gets 2 jumps/wave . . . .this is Lenny's 2nd jump of the Semi-Pro Finals. Listen for his distance . . . . I was thrilled after the effort he had put in the day before! His first jump in the Semi-Pro Finals was 17ft 7in!

In case you didn't hear the distance for his second jump, it was 19ft 2in!!! I am so proud of him!! What a guy!!! He never ceases to amaze me!!!

The competitors at Dock Dog events are such a nice group of people – very helpful, supportive, and friendly. One fella from the U.S., Bill Helfer, really helped me a lot with Lenny in EV & was really impressed with Lenny’s efforts. He thinks Lenny can jump another 6in with some training & practice. Joanne, with Rebel, was also very helpful & they were both so kind and encouraging.

So, we are next off to an event in Michigan May 24-25th . . . .the Michigan Dog Bowl; it is a qualifier for Worlds & will be a great experience for us & a chance to get in some practice.

Cathie put Chic in the wave on Sun. at the Cottage Life Show. Chic is getting a little braver about jumping. She had some good practices & jumped 3ft 9in and 1ft 6in in her waves on Sunday. Cathie was quite pleased with her b/c she actually pushed off for her 3ft + jump instead of going ker-plunk into the pool. She's an official Dock Dog!!

Dock Diving at Cottage Life Show, Mississauga, ON

2008-03-26T21:49:00.005-04:00

Wooohoooooooooo!!!!!!!! Only 2 more sleeps until the first Dock Dogs event of the season. Lenny, Chic, Cathie & I will be at the show Fri, Sat & Sun. We're helping out on Fri. Lenny won't be in any waves until Sat & Sun. And, he's going to try EV (Extreme Vertical - high jump for dogs) for the first time on Sat. . . .I'm so excited . . . . I think he'll do great . . . . he's not called Leapin' Lenny for nothning!!!!! Not sure yet if Chick is going to try any waves. Stay tuned for results & pics/clips.

Thurs Dock Diving Class

2008-03-23T01:34:00.006-04:00

Since Fri was a holiday, we were able to go to Heather's DockDiving class on Thurs nite up near Guelph. Mom even went with us! It was so much fun!! Lenny was flying!! And . . . . . Chic is an Official Dock Dog . . . . that's right . .. . .she actually jumped (pushed off instead of going ker-plunk) into the pool!!! (I couldn't get a clip of her jumps b/c I was helping Cath get her to jump!) And not once, but 3 or 4 times!!! This was the first time she was really excited about the pool as well. I guess she remembered from the last time we were there.

Lenny had a blast. He was jumping high!!! Too bad there was a ceiling on the barn! I'm definitely going to enter him in EV at the Cottage Life Show next weekend. EV is after the waves on Sat. I'm very curious to see how high he can jump & also what effect this will have on his dock diving . . . . . his form & distance.

This time you get to see him without being on the Titanic!

I think Mom enjoyed herself - it was neat for her to come & see what her "grand-puppies" are up to when we take them out!

Dock Diving 101

2008-03-14T07:12:00.017-04:00

Wooohooooooo!!! Dock Diving 101 workshop on Sun, Mar 9th at Argyle Farms near Guelph was a blast! The dogs had such a good time. Lenny, Chic, and their friend Lucky, took part in the workshop put on by Heather McLeod who is the trainer for DockDogs.

This place is a horse farm that has a therapeutic pool for the horses in a separate barn. The pool is kind of "V" shaped with a ramp on one side & a gang-plank which can be lowered so that the horse can swim back & forth on the other side & the person can walk all the way around with them.

So, most of the dogs started on the ramp getting used to getting in the water after their toy. The workshop was from 4pm - 9pm, split into 2 groups. We were in the second group (from 7-9) & there were 7 in our group; I think there were 6 in the first group. We were quite surprised at how warm & comfortable it was in the pool barn - it was freezing cold outside! After the sun went down, it did cool off inside, though, and the dogs were a bit chilly waiting between turns. We dried them off as best we could & then covered them with a towel or blanket - they were fine & couldn't wait to jump again.

From left to right: Cathie & Chic, Lenny, Anna & Lucky

Chic getting her feet wet!

Another pup ready to take the plunge!

Lenny had a great time! We started off with his Wubba for a couple of jumps, then Heather attached it to a pole which she held out over the pool about 8'-10' in front of him. This is to get him to leap up as well as out for the toy. Then she switched from the Wubba to a bumper. I think he missed it the first time he jumped for it, but after that he made darn sure he got that toy! This was an awesome start for him because there is an event at the DockDogs competitions called EV - Extreme Vertical . . . .this is high jump for the dogs whereas dock diving is long jump for dogs. He isn't called Leapin' Lenny for nothing!! He caught on fast & loved it!!

Check out the clip. This is actually 4 clips together; for the last one, you might feel like you are on the Titanic . . . .the photographer turned the camera (which one can't do as with still photos) . . . . makes for an interesting angle!! I'm so excited I finally got a clip to load on here!

We get to go to Dock diving class this Thurs (since Fri is a holiday, so it doesn't matter if it's a late night) . . . .wooooohooooooooooooo!!! Thurs class is held at the same place as the workshop - should be a blast!

Of course, this is training. In competition, the dogs jump off a 40' dock into a 40' above ground pool . . . . . .lots of room on the dock to build up some speed!!

Big Snow Day!!

2008-03-08T23:34:00.013-05:00

Wow! It's been snowing, off & on, for 2 days now . . . .we have a LOT of snow!! Check out the drifts on the roof at the back of the house & on the carport! It's supposed to be cleared up on Sun . . . yipeee . .. . off to Guelph for Dock Diving 101!!

And, of course the kids LOVE playing in the snow!!

This is our view of the backyard from the walkout in the family room - I had to shovel a path for the dogs around the backyard!

This is not a car or trailer in the backyard . . . . it is the bathtub from the upstairs bathroom which will be going in the new downstairs bathroom!

Another Gorgeous Ontario Winter Day!

2008-03-02T23:16:00.003-05:00

It was yet another perfect Ontario winter day today . . . .bright sunshine for most of the day and the temp comfortably hovering around Oc. The plumber & electrician arrived between 8am & 9am this morning to work on the bathroom in the basement (well, bathroom to be) so Cath & I headed out with the dogs around 9:30am. Went up to Long Sault again. Chic was not herself when we got there, so Cath & she slept in the van while Lenny & I did the trail. He had a blast- the snow off the trail was up to his chest so he had to take great leaps to get through the snow. I should have taken the camera today . . . . blogs are so much better with pics . . .I'll get the hang of this yet!! We were out for a little over an hour; by the time we got back the parking lot as packed - cars were even parked on the side of the road heading out of the parking lot!
A nap was on the schedule this afternoon in spite of the drilling & sawing noises coming from the basement . . . it's amazing what one can sleep through!!

Perfect Winter's Day!

2008-02-23T22:46:00.038-05:00

What a spectacular winter's day here today! It was bright sunshine most of the day & about -3C so off to the woods we went with the kids. We decided to go to Long Sault this time (it is north & east of Oshawa) and has some wonderful trails. Very popular with cross-country skiers. The woods here are really neat because they change as you progress along the trail - from pine forest to maple forsest to mixed & back to pine/mix . .. . the only thing it lacks is natural water . . . .we hardly ever go here in the summer for that reason. We had a great walk & the kids really had a good time. We are dog-sitting little Patches this weekend & he was pretty well tuckered by the end of the trek.

Miss Chicadee is very photogenic!!

It is quite difficult to get a pic of Lenny out in the woods because he is very seldom still!

I noticed this along the trail today!

When we got back to the van, we enjoyed a nice cup of hot chocolate that Cath had packed for us . . . mmmmm good! Then we headed over to Tyrone Mill for some apple donuts . . . .mmmmm good again!!

Then we decided to slip over to the dog sled races in Cannington (north & west of Oshawa). We got there just in time to catch the 8-dog teams run an 8 mile race. There were 5 teams, and as you can see, these were mostly not the husky type - apparently b/c they are sprinters, they are smaller & leaner. The second team out lost control of his sled & lost his dogs right after the first turn. Officials brought the team in after the race was over. That musher was not a happy camper. I heard him tell someone he was probably not going to go in the races tomorrow. What a disappointment! The team was fine, by the way.

Sean & Heather, these pics are for you!

These pics are from after the races. The rigging to tie the dogs up is pretty neat. This team was very well-mannered for meal time - I was quite impressed that there were no scraps between them. When most of them were done eating/drinking their meal, the musher brought out this pup . . what a cutie . . . getting him used to the team!

This woman had quite the hat - some kind of full skin that went right down her back!

Snow fun

2008-02-16T23:13:00.004-05:00

Lenny & I went up to visit friends in Douro, near Peterborough, today . . . . it was a gorgeous winter day. Tons of sunshine, about
-5C, very little wind . . .it was great! There is way more snow up there than we have here! Lenny had a blast!! He has never experienced snow that deep (probably at least 2 feet or better) and had to do the leap n' jump technique, especially when we decided to trek across the cornfield. He sucks at breaking trail b/c he doesn't go in a straight line! My friends have a little dog, Muffy, who had to hitch a ride b/c she would just disappear in the snow! We had an excellent day!

Agility Level 2 Graduation

2008-02-14T23:50:00.005-05:00

Well, Lenny graduated from Level 2 Agility (for the second time) tonight. He was nuts tonite!! Even after going to the woods before class, he was still full of beans. I sure need to work on my handling skills! Lenny got the weave poles once tonite (he finally just "got" them a couple of weeks ago). Out of 3 times through the weave poles tonite, he did them all correctly once . . .I'm very proud of him!! Lenny took his teacher an assortment of chocolate hearts for Valentine's Day; she was very impressed! We have to wait a couple of weeks now until Level 3 begins . .. .can't wait!!!

When we were at the woods tonite, Lenny ran into (literally) a Great Dane friend of Gideon's - Lenny was barrelling directly towards him, couldn't stop and so leaped right over top of this large Great Dane!! Then they played and played for quite some time. They had a great time. It was wonderful to see them having so much fun!

Superdogs!

2008-02-10T00:16:00.001-05:00

One of the very exciting things that happend with Lenny & me over Christmas was that we were invited to be part of the Superdogs Show which was here at the GM Centre in Oshawa on Dec 27/07. We had a blast!!

We went to 2 nights of Superdogs Bootcamp to learn what we needed to do in the show. Lenny & I took part in the introduction at the start of the show, Lenny did 2 jumps in the high jump portion, and then we were in the finale parade around the ring. We also took part in the Meet n' Greet after the show. Lenny was awesome!!! The crowds, lights, and noise didn't faze him one bit. And, he was a trooper when all the kids & people came to see us after the show.

Many thanks to my sister for all her help and also to family & friends who came out to watch the show & support Lenny & I in his first big "starring role". It was an excellent experience for both of us.

I hope we will get to do it again some day!

Leapin' Lenny & Dock Diving

2007-11-26T00:09:00.012-05:00

The first day I met Lenny - at the OSPCA, Stratford, ON

This blog is dedicated to my dog, Lenny, who is a black Lab mix I rescued from the Stratford OSPCA in Sept 2006. He came home with me on Sept 13/06 as a 5 1/2 month old pup. Lenny has developed into an AMAZING dog!! He is smart, he is very athletic, and he is game for anything!! I started him in basic obedience shortly after he arrived home, and then we went on to Novice Rally-O (which is fun obedience, as opposed to regular obedience) and then on to Agility (we have completed Level 1 & 2 and will be starting Level 3 at the end of Feb/08).

Then, in Aug of 2007 we discovered Dock Diving!!

I have to back up a little bit here in order to tell of Lenny's path to his first Dock Diving event. Lenny really didn't discover that he loved the water, as all Labs do, until the early summer of 2007 when it started to warm up. We were at one of our favourite woods, and as I said, it was quite warm when Lenny went in the creek. It was like a lightbulb went on in his head! Wow! This feels GREAAAAT!!! Ever since then, Lenny didn't wade into the water, he LAUNCHED himself into the water. I started to throw a tennis ball for him to chase & he launched himself with even more enthusiasm. Then I started to ask him to wait when I threw the ball, and then released him . . . . .HUGE leaping into the water!!! Then a lightbulb went off in my head & I remembered I had seen Dock Diving on TV a few years previous. So, I thought, hmmmmm . .. . maybe we should try this dock diving thing!!

We were well into the summer now, and I heard about Dog Days of Scugog up at Port Perry (a wonderful weekend dedicated to dogs with all kinds of activities & events going on including agility and flyball) & that the Dock Dogs were going to be there. I went up & had a look, asked some questions of the Ontario Dock Dog people who were there and they directed me to the internet to the Dock Dogs website http://www.dockdogs.com/ which had lots of info about this newest dog sport of dock diving. As luck would have it, there were 5 other upcoming events listed.

We entered our first Dock Diving event in Binbrook (near Hamilton, ON) on Aug 11/07. This was a Regional event put on by the Ontario Dock Dog club http://www.ontariodockdogs.com/ . Lenny's first official jump was 9'8". He finished the day with a new personal best of 12'1"! We were hooked!!!!!!

Next event . . . . . . Barrie Fair . . . .Aug 25/07!

We had a fabulous day on Saturday! Lenny got a new personal best of 16' 2" and got the last spot in the Pro Finals cut!! So, I drove back up the next day & we finshed 10th in the Pro Finals. Very exciting!! It was a wonderful weekend . . . everyone is so nice & helpful.

Next on Sep 7-8, we were off to London, ON. The Dock Dogs were at the London Fair so I took a couple days vacation and went there for some training. On Thurs, there was only me & Lenny and one other team. Then on Fri, a few more teams showed up. We had a great time in spite of the rain on Fri. Lenny achieved another Personal Best - 18' 1" !! Heather McLeod is the Canadian rep for Dock Dogs and she is a tremendous help. You'll usually find her on the dock, fairly wet, but always with a smile. Heather also has Canada's first Elite dog, Diesel, who jumped a personal best of 25' in Ottawa on Sep 30th!!

Next stop was Pickering Sept 22-23rd. This was a real treat because it was so close to home! Also, it was our first indoor event which was kind of unfortunate because it was absolutely beautiful & sunny all weekend. I set up "camp" across the parking lot where I pitched the easy-up canopy I borrowed from Lin and had quite a nice little spot to take breaks & let Lenny relax between waves.

Here are Lenny's results (each team gets 2 jumps/wave & the highest score of the two is used). He achieved the following results on Sat:

Wave #1 16' 10" 17' 2" participant medal

Wave #2 18' 5" 15' 5" 2nd Senior medal

Wave #3 17' 8" 18' 0" 2nd Senior medal

Then on Sunday: Woooohoooooooooooooooo!!!! We had an awesome day!! There were 2 waves, at 10am and 12noon. Then the finals at 2:30pm

In the first wave Lenny jumped 18' 1" and 17' 5" 2nd Senior medal
In the second wave he jumped 16' 1" and 17' 4" 3rd Senior medal

He made it into the Pro Finals!! They take the top 24 from all the waves of the wkend, then 1 -12 are in the Pro Finals and 13-24 are in the Amateur Finals. In the Finals, you get 2 jumps as well, and then they take the top 4 distances and those teams get 2 more jumps and then the top 4 distances out of those 2 jumps are the winners. They pay to 4th place & give medals, then 5th to 12th get medals as do the Amateurs.

So . .. . . .in Lenny's first jump in the Finals he got 17' something, I think . . .I really can't remember. Then on his second jump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . he got 19' 2" !!!!! I am THRILLED!!! I'm soooo proud of him!!! What a guy!!! I couldn't get the smile off my face for quite some time!!!! We finished in 6th place ... . not too shabby for a beginner!!! The winner was Diesel, one of Heather's 4 dogs (he's a border collie) with a 22' + jump! He currently holds the Canadian indoor dock diving record of 24' 10".

Our last stop of the season was at Dundas Veterinary Clinic in Winchester, ON for a one day Dock Diving event on Sept 30th. It was a blast!!! Lenny & I drove down the night before & stayed at a motel not far from the venue. Just after we arrived, we ran into Heather & she invited us to go with her into to Ottawa where she was meeting some Flyball friends for a litlle practice. This was very nice of Heather because otherwise, Lenny & I would have been sitting in our room all night with not much to do but watch the tube! So off we went, and Lenny had his first lesson in crating in the vehicle - he did very, very well especially since he had to stay in the crate for most of the evening until everyone else was done with their training (a couple of hours). Then Lenny got to try his paws at the beginnings of flyball . . . . running the flyball jumps, which he did with great speed. Someone would hold him, I would run to the other end, call him, and have a toy for him to go for. The first time we did it, he tried to jump for the toy as if he was jumping off the dock! It was pretty funny! After that, though, he got the hang of it. This turned out to be excellent prep for his dock diving the next day as he had a lot more speed on the dock.

And, he made it into the Finals Top 12 (they only had one finals, not 1-24 as usual b/c it was just a one day event) and . ….. he made the Final Four and . . . . placed 4th!!! (4th pays $50!!) He was in 3rd place going into the Finals. I’m so thrilled!!!! I’m so proud of him!!!

His jumps were as follows: Wave #1 19' and 21' 1", Wave #2 19' 11" and 21' 7", Wave #3 18' 9" and 20' 10". I can't remember his scores in the Final 12, but his scores in the Final Four were 19' 6" and 20' 11". What a guy! He definitely makes me look good!!

This is Lenny's 4th Place medal. He was a very, very tired boy by the end of the event . . . . you can see he looks a little sleepy here! The venue was only about 15 minutes from the 401. When we left for home, I'm sure Lenny was off the air before we got to the 401 and he barely stirred all the way home!! What an awesome dog!! This rescue dog has really blossomed into the most amazing team-mate.

We can hardly wait for Dock Diving season to begin again!! The first event of 2008 is at the Cottage Life Show in TO at the International Centre, Mar 28-30th. We'll be there!!!!