FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Medina, OH - March 31, 2011 - The Fred Hall Fishing, Tackle, Boat & Travel Show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in San Diego, CA. continues to reign supreme as the oldest and largest consumer show in California's second largest city for the last 36 years. The Royal Canin sponsored National DockDogs Series was happy to be invited back for the fifth year in a row as the feature entertainment of the long standing event.
Thursday was day one of Big Air qualifying of the four day event. Two teams set the bar high in the 1st wave of the day. Current 2010 World Champions, Melissa Ness and her amazing rescued Chesapeake Bay Retriever Smoke, threw down a 24'2". But the team to watch for the weekend was Lisa Strum from San Diego and her 3 year old Belgian Malinois Vhoebe (VB) jumping to a Super Elite distance of 26'5". Honorable mentions of the day were, Jack Voss and Jillie with an 18'6" to make the Semi Pro Finals later in the weekend and Lisa Linden and her Standard Poodle with a 9'4".
Day two of qualifying saw Chris Kakuuchi from Brea, CA make it to the Pro Big Air Finals with a 22'. Austin, with handler Jack Barry, jumped into the Semi Pro class with a 19'1". Nancy Bouman and her long legged Black Lab and Brian Jorgensen and Elly from Anaheim, CA both made it in to the Semi Pro class with a jump of 18'10". One team that didn't quite make the Finals cut, but worked hard was Jessie Broadway and Shimmer, who won the Novice division on Friday.
Saturday started with the 1st qualifier of Speed Retrieve. Of the 14 teams trying to qualify for the 8 spots in the Final, there were seven teams that streaked down the 58' distance under 7 seconds. Sit Means Sit teammate Lianne Hassen and her Belgian Malinois, Rex, had a blistering pass of 5.244 seconds to make the Finals as the top seed. Craig Haverstick and his former champ and 9 year old rescued Chessie named Henry also came speeding down the dock with a 5.876.
Saturdays first of three Big Air qualifiers saw eight teams jump over the 20' mark. Current 2011 World Big Air Champion Melissa Ness and Smoke were on fire with a 27'2", qualifying as the top seed in the Pro division. Lisa Strum and Vhoebe (VB) hung with the champ at 26'1", getting the second top spot going into the Finals on Sunday. Ashley Rietfors and her high flying Dutch Shepherd, Pyro jumped out to 24'8" to make the Pro Finals not to mention taking home their first Iron Dog win! Also making the Finals the next day were Shari Robinson and her lightning fast Border Collie, Nevada, getting in the Semi Pro Finals with a 20'4". Perry Collier and his 11 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Sydney went to the Amateur Finals with a 15'7".
After a long day of Big Air and Speed Retrieve qualifying, there was one event left - the crowd favorite, Extreme Vertical, which is probably the hardest of all competitions. With a total of 10 teams set to compete, only 2 ended in the Cadet division (meaning they were coming in under the 6' mark) at the end of the competition. They were Lianne Hassen with her two dogs, Dooley, a Yellow Lab, leaving the competition at 5'6" and her Black Lab, Tank, taking second with a 5'4".
It was the Top Gun class that needed an air traffic controller to keep the planes out of the aerial dog fight above the dock. The story of the day was first time EV competitor Lisa Strum from San Diego and her 2 year old Belgian Malinois, Gabriel. This beautiful first timer came in to the competition at 5'4" and came back round after round by grabbing the hanging bumper 11 times before getting to 7'2". In the end the team missed twice at their final height putting them out of the competition and tying for 4 place with former EV Champ Melissa Ness and Stryker at 7'. Third place went to the team of Pyro and handler Ashley Rietfors. In the end it was two teams from the Las Vegas DockDogs club and Sit Means Sit dog training organization who fought it out up to 7'6" where Lianne Hassen and Rex went out for a second place finish as well as taking second in Iron Dog. Puma, also a Belgian Malinois, and handler Alfredo Rivera went on to grab the winning height at 7'8".
After not experiencing any major upsets in the last remaining Big Air and Speed Retrieve qualifiers, it was onto the Finals! Speed Retrieve kicked things off with teams coming in with the fastest times of the event in the Final. The teams were pretty well matched up with three teams finishing in the low seven second range and three teams finishing in the six second area. It all came down the last two dogs in the final round of the Finals. Craig Haverstick and his nine year old dog, Henry, came to the dock with confidence as this former champ is used to pressure. When the green light lit up at the end of the pool, Henry ran and jumped almost half the pool and swam the rest blistering there first round time by 300th of a second with a time of 5.487, giving the SoCal DockDogs club President the lead. Representing the Las Vegas DockDogs club, Lianne Hassen and her Belgian Malinois, Rex, threw down a first round pass of 5.677, which means they needed to step up a couple hundreds of a second to take the win. The team staged up on the starting line (20' mark on the dock) and gave the nod they were ready. The yellow light came on and 3 seconds later went to green. Rex not only got a better reaction time on the starting lights then Henry but had a much smoother pass and a slightly faster swim. The crowd fell silent as the DockDogs announcer screamed 5.224 seconds and your winner is Rex and Lianne Hassen! With little time to celebrate, the teams went to dry the dogs off and get ready for the Pro Big Air Finals.
The great people from Royal Canin, the leader in pet nutrition, conducted a contest for spectators to pick there favorite dog of the event. The winner was Linda Hettich from Arcadia, CA and her cancer surviving Black Lab, Tessa. The seven year old Lab also finished sixth with a 22' in the Pro Big Air Finals.
The Pro Finals saw two teams shoot it out at the end. Lisa Strum and VB jumped to a crowd applause first round of 26' and a final jump of 26'4"for the lead. Pressure was on Ashley Rietfors and her fired up Belgian Malinois, Pyro, who had a first round jump of 26', but came back for there final jump and launched like the space shuttle in the second round to 26'5', taking home the win by 1".
The Semi Pro Big Air Final saw two long time members of the DockDogs family fight it out. It was Shari Robibson and her cape wearing Border Collie, Nevada, getting it done with a second place finish of 20'2". Lianna Hassen was busy all week long competiting her many dogs, but it was her Belgian Malinois, Rex, again getting the top podium spot with a 20'11".
Marilyn Barrett and her Black Lab, Phoebe, took home the gold with a 19'11" in the Amateur Big Air Finals. Holly Wagoner and her beautiful mixed breed named Sox finished with a 18'6", good enough for second. Sammi- Jane and her handler Megan Kelly-LaRue from San Clements, CA popped a17'6" for a third place finish to finish out the event.
It is always exciting to come back to one of our favorite long-standing events - The Fred Hall Fishing, Tackle, Boat & Travel Show series. DockDogs wants to thank everyone who came out to enjoy the nice weather with us and our sponsor, Royal Canin for joining us as well. We hope to see everyone next year for more fun in the sun!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
DockDogs Surfs into Long Beach!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Medina, OH - March 16, 2011 - DockDogs was once again hosted by the 2011 Fred Hall Fishing, Tackle and Boat Show in beautiful Long Beach, CA this past weekend. For the sixth year in a row our SoCal DockDogs came out in full force, ready to officially start their season of competition.
Starting things off slowly on Wednesday and Thursday, but we were treated with plenty of solid jumping pups. Chris Kakucchi and her Yellow Lab named Dusty took home first place in Wave #1 with a jump that would guarantee them the first seed in the Semi-Pro Finals of 21'11". Wednesday night saw SoCal DockDoggers Linda Hettich and her cancer surviving pup Tessa take home the big win with a jump of 20'8". Big Air Wave #3 on Thursday also provided some great moments as Jan Jorgensen and her Black Lab Moki made it into the water for the first time ever taking home a First Place Novice Ribbon.
Friday's competition gave us some clear signs of things to come over the weekend as vanloads of teams made their way to the DockDogs area to strut their stuff. Big Air Wave #5 saw the arrival of a team that's new to DockDogs this year, but tearing up the astroturf nonetheless. Lisa Strum and her Belgian Malinois named Vhoebe threw down a jump of 25'9" on their first time up to show everyone they were a force to be reckoned with. Coming in 2nd was Brittany Moss and her Belgian Malinois named Joker with a jump of 20'9". The California Malinois' continued their dominance into the evening with Vhoebe extending her best to 26'8" and Joker making it out to 20'8".
Saturday's Speed Retrieve competition was as exciting as ever, as we saw the famous Henry, an 9 year old rescued Chessie dominate the wave, with a great time of 6.039 seconds. Lisa and Vhoebe took another step towards showing everyone why they'll be an Iron Dog contender for a long time to come with a time of 6.272.
The Big Air waves of Saturday left nothing to be desired as the reigning 2010 World Champion team of Melissa Ness and her Chessie named Smoke as well as the 2009 Big Air World Champions Craig Haverstick and his Chessie named Henry entered into the mix. Lisa and Vhoebe would not be intimidated though, beating out both of those teams by over half a foot with another jump of 26'8" in wave #7. The next Big Air Wave saw Melissa and Smoke back in familiar territory atop the awards stand after jumping 26'4" for the win. 2009 Iron Dog World Champions Alfredo Rivera and his Belgian Malinois named Power Puma came in 2nd with a jump of 23'6". Jumping big enough to qualify for their first Pro Final, Kate Bernstein and her Yellow Lab Oliver took third with a jump of 22'3".
After moving Saturday's Extreme Vertical Final to mid-afternoon on Saturday, we saw a battle of Top Gun Veterans taking it to the wire. Alfredo and Power Puma out-jumped Melissa Ness and her mixed breed named Stryker for the win with a final height of 7'5". Stryker made it up to 7'0", followed by Vhoebe who exited the competition at 6'8". In a great turn of events, the most excited team award has to go to DockDogs veterans Nancy Bouman and her Black Lab named River found their way back into EV groove jumping up to 4'10" to take 3rd in the Cadet Division.
Sunday's bright, sunny skies brought out the crowds and our teams did everything they could to deliver the excitement always seen when DockDogs heads to Southern California. Newcomers and Veterans battled it out right from the start, as Melissa and Smoke showed everyone why they are the World Champions jumping out to our first 27 footer of the weekend. Lisa and Vhoebe followed a half foot behind with a jump of 26'6". In the final Big Air Qualifying wave, Craig and Henry proved they've still got it by throwing down a first place tying 24'3" jump to tie Melissa and Smoke.
Our Finals started off with Speed Retrieve, where we watched our top 8 teams of the weekend battle it out for the best score on that 58' retrieve. It was our hard to beat team of Craig Haverstick and Henry, who swam away with first, with a score of 5.878 seconds. Coming in second was Lisa and Vhoebe, with another competitive score of 6.369. Rounding out the top three was Alfredo and Power Puma, with a time of 6.600.
The bleachers filled as our Pro dogs lined up at the back of the dock. We knew we were in to see some huge jumps, as we had 5 dogs jump out past that 22' mark to make it to these Finals. We were definitely not disappointed as these teams came out and gave it their all! Taking first and also extending their all-time personal best jump was Lisa Strum and Vhoebe, with a leap of 27'2"! Coming in second was Smoke, with a more than respectable score of 26'7". Coming in 3rd was the veteran team of Craig and Henry with a jump of 24'9".
Next up was our Semi-Pro dogs, and this was going to be a tough competition as the bubble to get in was definitely set high. After we watched these 6 dogs battle it out, we saw SoCal DockDoggers, Linda Hettich and Tessa, jump 21'6'' and take first place. Chris and Dusty hadn't jumped since the first day of competition, but still jumped big enough to take 2nd with a jump of 21'5". Rounding out the top 3 was Pam Sheets and her Chocolate Lab Brooklyn with a jump of 21'1".
Rounding out our Finals competition for this event were our Amateur dogs. Showing they were ready to play with the big dogs, they held their own. The top 8 Amateur dogs lined up and gave it their all. Taking out the competition with a great jump of 17'8'', was Marc Marsceill and his Black Lab Diesel. Taking 2nd was Jack Voss and his Black Lab Jillie with a jump of 17'4". Rounding out the top 3 was Don Gregory and his Wirehaired Griffon with a jump of 16'10".
Our Iron Dog Competition saw 2009 World Champions Alfredo and Power Puma going down to the wire with Lisa and Vhoebe. In the end, it was Puma that would take home the win with 3040.74. Just about half a point behind, Lisa and Vhoebe showed they belong with the big boys scoring 3040.18. Craig and Henry finished right on their heels though with a score of 3032.79.
DockDogs would like to thank Royal Canin for helping make it possible for us to be here this year. We would also like to thank the staff at the Fred Hall Fishing, Tackle and Boat Show for having us and we look forward to returning to the show in a few weeks down in Del Mar, CA. The crowds were great, and we look forward to seeing all of our SoCal DockDoggers in Del Mar in a couple weeks!
Medina, OH - March 16, 2011 - DockDogs was once again hosted by the 2011 Fred Hall Fishing, Tackle and Boat Show in beautiful Long Beach, CA this past weekend. For the sixth year in a row our SoCal DockDogs came out in full force, ready to officially start their season of competition.
Starting things off slowly on Wednesday and Thursday, but we were treated with plenty of solid jumping pups. Chris Kakucchi and her Yellow Lab named Dusty took home first place in Wave #1 with a jump that would guarantee them the first seed in the Semi-Pro Finals of 21'11". Wednesday night saw SoCal DockDoggers Linda Hettich and her cancer surviving pup Tessa take home the big win with a jump of 20'8". Big Air Wave #3 on Thursday also provided some great moments as Jan Jorgensen and her Black Lab Moki made it into the water for the first time ever taking home a First Place Novice Ribbon.
Friday's competition gave us some clear signs of things to come over the weekend as vanloads of teams made their way to the DockDogs area to strut their stuff. Big Air Wave #5 saw the arrival of a team that's new to DockDogs this year, but tearing up the astroturf nonetheless. Lisa Strum and her Belgian Malinois named Vhoebe threw down a jump of 25'9" on their first time up to show everyone they were a force to be reckoned with. Coming in 2nd was Brittany Moss and her Belgian Malinois named Joker with a jump of 20'9". The California Malinois' continued their dominance into the evening with Vhoebe extending her best to 26'8" and Joker making it out to 20'8".
Saturday's Speed Retrieve competition was as exciting as ever, as we saw the famous Henry, an 9 year old rescued Chessie dominate the wave, with a great time of 6.039 seconds. Lisa and Vhoebe took another step towards showing everyone why they'll be an Iron Dog contender for a long time to come with a time of 6.272.
The Big Air waves of Saturday left nothing to be desired as the reigning 2010 World Champion team of Melissa Ness and her Chessie named Smoke as well as the 2009 Big Air World Champions Craig Haverstick and his Chessie named Henry entered into the mix. Lisa and Vhoebe would not be intimidated though, beating out both of those teams by over half a foot with another jump of 26'8" in wave #7. The next Big Air Wave saw Melissa and Smoke back in familiar territory atop the awards stand after jumping 26'4" for the win. 2009 Iron Dog World Champions Alfredo Rivera and his Belgian Malinois named Power Puma came in 2nd with a jump of 23'6". Jumping big enough to qualify for their first Pro Final, Kate Bernstein and her Yellow Lab Oliver took third with a jump of 22'3".
After moving Saturday's Extreme Vertical Final to mid-afternoon on Saturday, we saw a battle of Top Gun Veterans taking it to the wire. Alfredo and Power Puma out-jumped Melissa Ness and her mixed breed named Stryker for the win with a final height of 7'5". Stryker made it up to 7'0", followed by Vhoebe who exited the competition at 6'8". In a great turn of events, the most excited team award has to go to DockDogs veterans Nancy Bouman and her Black Lab named River found their way back into EV groove jumping up to 4'10" to take 3rd in the Cadet Division.
Sunday's bright, sunny skies brought out the crowds and our teams did everything they could to deliver the excitement always seen when DockDogs heads to Southern California. Newcomers and Veterans battled it out right from the start, as Melissa and Smoke showed everyone why they are the World Champions jumping out to our first 27 footer of the weekend. Lisa and Vhoebe followed a half foot behind with a jump of 26'6". In the final Big Air Qualifying wave, Craig and Henry proved they've still got it by throwing down a first place tying 24'3" jump to tie Melissa and Smoke.
Our Finals started off with Speed Retrieve, where we watched our top 8 teams of the weekend battle it out for the best score on that 58' retrieve. It was our hard to beat team of Craig Haverstick and Henry, who swam away with first, with a score of 5.878 seconds. Coming in second was Lisa and Vhoebe, with another competitive score of 6.369. Rounding out the top three was Alfredo and Power Puma, with a time of 6.600.
The bleachers filled as our Pro dogs lined up at the back of the dock. We knew we were in to see some huge jumps, as we had 5 dogs jump out past that 22' mark to make it to these Finals. We were definitely not disappointed as these teams came out and gave it their all! Taking first and also extending their all-time personal best jump was Lisa Strum and Vhoebe, with a leap of 27'2"! Coming in second was Smoke, with a more than respectable score of 26'7". Coming in 3rd was the veteran team of Craig and Henry with a jump of 24'9".
Next up was our Semi-Pro dogs, and this was going to be a tough competition as the bubble to get in was definitely set high. After we watched these 6 dogs battle it out, we saw SoCal DockDoggers, Linda Hettich and Tessa, jump 21'6'' and take first place. Chris and Dusty hadn't jumped since the first day of competition, but still jumped big enough to take 2nd with a jump of 21'5". Rounding out the top 3 was Pam Sheets and her Chocolate Lab Brooklyn with a jump of 21'1".
Rounding out our Finals competition for this event were our Amateur dogs. Showing they were ready to play with the big dogs, they held their own. The top 8 Amateur dogs lined up and gave it their all. Taking out the competition with a great jump of 17'8'', was Marc Marsceill and his Black Lab Diesel. Taking 2nd was Jack Voss and his Black Lab Jillie with a jump of 17'4". Rounding out the top 3 was Don Gregory and his Wirehaired Griffon with a jump of 16'10".
Our Iron Dog Competition saw 2009 World Champions Alfredo and Power Puma going down to the wire with Lisa and Vhoebe. In the end, it was Puma that would take home the win with 3040.74. Just about half a point behind, Lisa and Vhoebe showed they belong with the big boys scoring 3040.18. Craig and Henry finished right on their heels though with a score of 3032.79.
DockDogs would like to thank Royal Canin for helping make it possible for us to be here this year. We would also like to thank the staff at the Fred Hall Fishing, Tackle and Boat Show for having us and we look forward to returning to the show in a few weeks down in Del Mar, CA. The crowds were great, and we look forward to seeing all of our SoCal DockDoggers in Del Mar in a couple weeks!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Best from the West Throw Down in Phoenix!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Medina, OH - March 1, 2011 - For the 3rd stop in the International Sportsman's Expo Best of the West Series, DockDogs trucked on into the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The state of the art dome and home to the NFL's Arizona Cardinals has seen it's fair share of thrills since opening in 2006, but our high-flying dogs certainly held their own with the jam-packed crowds. With teams showing up from all over the west, we knew that the competition would be stiff from the start, but it was anyone's guess which of these stellar competitors would come away with the wins.
Starting things off on Thursday afternoon with Big Air Wave #1, we saw the local dogs strut their stuff. Traci Johnson and her Chocolate Lab named Jill from Peoria, AZ came away with the longest jump making it out to 21'1". Following just behind in 2nd was Glendale, AZ natives Whitney Lightner and her Border Collie named Saber with a 20'6". Rounding out the top 3 was Elsa Brett and her Golden Retriever Leo from Scottsdale, AZ with a 18'5". Big Air Wave #2 saw more locals strutting their stuff. Marcia Walton and her Australian Shepherd named Roo from Chino Valley, AZ took home the win with a jump of 18'8". Following close behind was Whitney with her other pup named Aero with a jump of 17'3." Coming in 3rd was Kathleen Schaffer and her Golden Retriever named Ernie from Frankfort, IL with a jump of 15'11". Finishing out the day with Big Air Wave #3, Traci and Jill were back to their winning ways with a jump of 21'3". Marcia and Roo came in 2nd with a 17'3" jump followed by Tempe native Becky Brooks and Yellow Lab, Zeus, with a jump of 15'1".
With 3 more Big Air waves on the schedule for Friday, we saw the arrival of many more teams from all over the West. Big Air Wave #4 saw the arrival of the massive jumping Belgian Malinois, Vhoebe, from San Diego, CA. Handled by Lisa Strum, Vhoebe jumped huge right away throwing down 26'4" for the win. Coming in 2nd was Boulder Creek, CA natives Ashley Rietfors and her Dutch Shepard named Pyro with a jump of 21'10". Rounding out the top 3 was Elsa and Leo with a jump of 18'5". Lisa and Vhoebe were back at it in Big Air Wave #5, jumping 25'6" for the win. Coming in 2nd was Ashley and Pyro with a jump of 22'8". Coming in 3rd was junior handler Holli Johnson and her Chocolate Lab, Jill, with a jump of 20'9". Big Air Wave #6 saw the arrival of even more dogs, but Lisa and Vhoebe still outjumped the competition by almost 3 feet with a winning jump of 25'8". Flying in from Spokane, WA and jumping big right off the bat, Britten Jay and his Chessie named Caddis took 2nd with 22'9". Vegas natives Lisa Weber and her Yellow Lab named Tractor rounded out the top 3 with a jump of 22'.
Switching gears Saturday morning, we changed over to Speed Retrieve. The 2010 World Championship Bronze Medalists Henry the Chessie and his handler Craig Haverstick from San Diego, CA turned in the fastest time of 6.218 seconds. Coming in 2nd was Vegas natives, and the 2010 World Championship runners' up, Lianne Hassen and her Belgian Malinois named Rex with a time of 6.286 seconds. Rounding out the top 3 was Caddis, this time handled by Julie Jay with a time of 6.356 seconds. Getting back to Big Air, Wave #7 saw Craig and Henry take home their 2nd win of the day with a jump of 24'6". Coming in 2nd was Britten and Caddis with a jump of 23'6". Rounding out the top 3 was Tractor, this time being jumped by AJ Leasure with a jump of 21'11". Big Air Wave #8 saw Caddis and Julie pick up the win with a 22'9" jump. Vegas natives Fred Hassen and his Belgian Malinois named Nash took 2nd with a jump of 21'6". Coming in 3rd was AJ and Tractor with a jump of 20'11".
Saturday evening found 17 teams battling it out to see who could go the highest in our Extreme Vertical Finals. With several big jumping new teams and the 2010 Extreme Vertical World Champions Lianne and Rex in the mix, it was anyone's guess who would come away with the title. The following 2 hours provided plenty of excitement, but at the end, Ashley and Pyro were crowned the champions with a winning score of 7'6". Lianne and Rex pushed them to the limit, coming in 2nd with a score of 7'4". Britten and Caddis were the only other team to break the 7 foot mark, finishing in 3rd with a 7' score.
Sunday morning saw the Final qualifying wave of Big Air for the weekend. Taking home the win was Craig and Henry with a score of 24'1". Finishing in 2nd was Britten and Caddis with a score of 22'1". In 3rd, Lisa and Tractor threw down a score of 22'1" to lead us into the finals. Following up was the final Speed Retrieve qualifying wave of the event. Lisa and Vhoebe showed everyone they were also a force to be reckoned with, blazing down the dock and retrieving the bumper with the sub-6 second time of the weekend turning in a score of 5.998 seconds. Coming in 2nd was Craig and Henry with a score of 6.180 seconds. In 3rd was Lianne and Rex with a score of 6.319 seconds.
With all the qualifying scores in the books, it was time to crown an Iron Dog Champion for the weekend. With massive Big Air scores, the fastest Speed Retrieve score and a 4th place finish in Extreme Vertical there was little question as to which team would be the winner. Lisa and Vhoebe turned in a stellar score of 3057.01. Coming in 2nd was Ashley and Pyro with a score of 3040.86. Finishing in 3rd was Lianne and Rex.
Every qualifying wave had been jumped, and every score had been tabulated, it was time for the Finals! Starting things off with the Speed Retrieve Finals, we had the top 8 teams of the weekend battling it out. Lianne and Rex showed everyone how they finished 2nd at the World's last year, blazing down the dock with a winning time of 6.147 seconds. Coming in 2nd was Craig and Henry with a time of 6.185 seconds. In 3rd was Julie and Caddis with a score of 6.606 seconds.
Moving into the Big Air Finals, we started things off with the Pro Division. Lisa and Vhoebe saved their best for last while narrowly missing the Indoor World Record. They jumped out to 27'2" for the win. Also saving their best for the Finals was Ashley and Pyro with a 2nd place jump of 25'11". Coming in 3rd was Craig and Henry with a jump of 24'8". The Semi-Pro Finals saw Fred and Nash jumping out to 22'6" for the win. Whitney and Saber came in 2nd with a jump of 21'6". Rounding out the top 3 was Lianne and Rex with a jump of 20'5". The Amateur Finals saw the treat of having a lap dog jump out for the win. Cynthia Hamilton and her mixed breed Wrigley from Scottsdale, AZ managed the win with a jump of 18'3". Coming in 2nd was Vegas natives Bob Lockwood and his Chocolate Lab, Ryder, with a jump of 18'1". Rounding out the top 3 was Lianne Hassen, this time with her Yellow Lab, Dooley, with a jump of 16'3".
DockDogs would like to thank everyone with the International Sportsman's Expo, the gracious staff of the University of Phoenix Stadium, the Arizona DockDogs club and all the teams that came out to compete with us and of course the great crowds that came out to support us over the weekend.
Medina, OH - March 1, 2011 - For the 3rd stop in the International Sportsman's Expo Best of the West Series, DockDogs trucked on into the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The state of the art dome and home to the NFL's Arizona Cardinals has seen it's fair share of thrills since opening in 2006, but our high-flying dogs certainly held their own with the jam-packed crowds. With teams showing up from all over the west, we knew that the competition would be stiff from the start, but it was anyone's guess which of these stellar competitors would come away with the wins.
Starting things off on Thursday afternoon with Big Air Wave #1, we saw the local dogs strut their stuff. Traci Johnson and her Chocolate Lab named Jill from Peoria, AZ came away with the longest jump making it out to 21'1". Following just behind in 2nd was Glendale, AZ natives Whitney Lightner and her Border Collie named Saber with a 20'6". Rounding out the top 3 was Elsa Brett and her Golden Retriever Leo from Scottsdale, AZ with a 18'5". Big Air Wave #2 saw more locals strutting their stuff. Marcia Walton and her Australian Shepherd named Roo from Chino Valley, AZ took home the win with a jump of 18'8". Following close behind was Whitney with her other pup named Aero with a jump of 17'3." Coming in 3rd was Kathleen Schaffer and her Golden Retriever named Ernie from Frankfort, IL with a jump of 15'11". Finishing out the day with Big Air Wave #3, Traci and Jill were back to their winning ways with a jump of 21'3". Marcia and Roo came in 2nd with a 17'3" jump followed by Tempe native Becky Brooks and Yellow Lab, Zeus, with a jump of 15'1".
With 3 more Big Air waves on the schedule for Friday, we saw the arrival of many more teams from all over the West. Big Air Wave #4 saw the arrival of the massive jumping Belgian Malinois, Vhoebe, from San Diego, CA. Handled by Lisa Strum, Vhoebe jumped huge right away throwing down 26'4" for the win. Coming in 2nd was Boulder Creek, CA natives Ashley Rietfors and her Dutch Shepard named Pyro with a jump of 21'10". Rounding out the top 3 was Elsa and Leo with a jump of 18'5". Lisa and Vhoebe were back at it in Big Air Wave #5, jumping 25'6" for the win. Coming in 2nd was Ashley and Pyro with a jump of 22'8". Coming in 3rd was junior handler Holli Johnson and her Chocolate Lab, Jill, with a jump of 20'9". Big Air Wave #6 saw the arrival of even more dogs, but Lisa and Vhoebe still outjumped the competition by almost 3 feet with a winning jump of 25'8". Flying in from Spokane, WA and jumping big right off the bat, Britten Jay and his Chessie named Caddis took 2nd with 22'9". Vegas natives Lisa Weber and her Yellow Lab named Tractor rounded out the top 3 with a jump of 22'.
Switching gears Saturday morning, we changed over to Speed Retrieve. The 2010 World Championship Bronze Medalists Henry the Chessie and his handler Craig Haverstick from San Diego, CA turned in the fastest time of 6.218 seconds. Coming in 2nd was Vegas natives, and the 2010 World Championship runners' up, Lianne Hassen and her Belgian Malinois named Rex with a time of 6.286 seconds. Rounding out the top 3 was Caddis, this time handled by Julie Jay with a time of 6.356 seconds. Getting back to Big Air, Wave #7 saw Craig and Henry take home their 2nd win of the day with a jump of 24'6". Coming in 2nd was Britten and Caddis with a jump of 23'6". Rounding out the top 3 was Tractor, this time being jumped by AJ Leasure with a jump of 21'11". Big Air Wave #8 saw Caddis and Julie pick up the win with a 22'9" jump. Vegas natives Fred Hassen and his Belgian Malinois named Nash took 2nd with a jump of 21'6". Coming in 3rd was AJ and Tractor with a jump of 20'11".
Saturday evening found 17 teams battling it out to see who could go the highest in our Extreme Vertical Finals. With several big jumping new teams and the 2010 Extreme Vertical World Champions Lianne and Rex in the mix, it was anyone's guess who would come away with the title. The following 2 hours provided plenty of excitement, but at the end, Ashley and Pyro were crowned the champions with a winning score of 7'6". Lianne and Rex pushed them to the limit, coming in 2nd with a score of 7'4". Britten and Caddis were the only other team to break the 7 foot mark, finishing in 3rd with a 7' score.
Sunday morning saw the Final qualifying wave of Big Air for the weekend. Taking home the win was Craig and Henry with a score of 24'1". Finishing in 2nd was Britten and Caddis with a score of 22'1". In 3rd, Lisa and Tractor threw down a score of 22'1" to lead us into the finals. Following up was the final Speed Retrieve qualifying wave of the event. Lisa and Vhoebe showed everyone they were also a force to be reckoned with, blazing down the dock and retrieving the bumper with the sub-6 second time of the weekend turning in a score of 5.998 seconds. Coming in 2nd was Craig and Henry with a score of 6.180 seconds. In 3rd was Lianne and Rex with a score of 6.319 seconds.
With all the qualifying scores in the books, it was time to crown an Iron Dog Champion for the weekend. With massive Big Air scores, the fastest Speed Retrieve score and a 4th place finish in Extreme Vertical there was little question as to which team would be the winner. Lisa and Vhoebe turned in a stellar score of 3057.01. Coming in 2nd was Ashley and Pyro with a score of 3040.86. Finishing in 3rd was Lianne and Rex.
Every qualifying wave had been jumped, and every score had been tabulated, it was time for the Finals! Starting things off with the Speed Retrieve Finals, we had the top 8 teams of the weekend battling it out. Lianne and Rex showed everyone how they finished 2nd at the World's last year, blazing down the dock with a winning time of 6.147 seconds. Coming in 2nd was Craig and Henry with a time of 6.185 seconds. In 3rd was Julie and Caddis with a score of 6.606 seconds.
Moving into the Big Air Finals, we started things off with the Pro Division. Lisa and Vhoebe saved their best for last while narrowly missing the Indoor World Record. They jumped out to 27'2" for the win. Also saving their best for the Finals was Ashley and Pyro with a 2nd place jump of 25'11". Coming in 3rd was Craig and Henry with a jump of 24'8". The Semi-Pro Finals saw Fred and Nash jumping out to 22'6" for the win. Whitney and Saber came in 2nd with a jump of 21'6". Rounding out the top 3 was Lianne and Rex with a jump of 20'5". The Amateur Finals saw the treat of having a lap dog jump out for the win. Cynthia Hamilton and her mixed breed Wrigley from Scottsdale, AZ managed the win with a jump of 18'3". Coming in 2nd was Vegas natives Bob Lockwood and his Chocolate Lab, Ryder, with a jump of 18'1". Rounding out the top 3 was Lianne Hassen, this time with her Yellow Lab, Dooley, with a jump of 16'3".
DockDogs would like to thank everyone with the International Sportsman's Expo, the gracious staff of the University of Phoenix Stadium, the Arizona DockDogs club and all the teams that came out to compete with us and of course the great crowds that came out to support us over the weekend.
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