Written by: Guest Blogger
by: Natasha Chornesky
Read the full article HERE!
When it’s 108 degrees and climbing in Vegas, dog walkers rise at 5:00 am in a zombie-like state to beat the heat on their morning walks. Dogs stay inside all day, snoozing on the couch, and then once the sun sets, it’s time for another walk. By then, your average dog walker is, after a day’s work, once again back in a zombie trance.
It doesn’t have to be that bad, though. There are options.
One of Vegas’ best kept secrets for dog owners provides an incredible opportunity for dogs stuck on the couch during the sweltering summer months. Las Vegas Dock Diving maintains a doggie-only pool just two shakes of a tail off the 215, near Warm Springs and Spencer.
Founded in 2008, by Lianne Hasen and Lisa Weber, in only two years, Las Vegas Dock Dogs (LVDD) has grown quickly and has almost 40 members.
In 2009, Las Vegas’ Sit Means Sit purchased a competition pool and dock for the club, so that members could practice on a regular basis, condition their dogs and gain some relief from the heat during the summer months.
Two local tournaments are held annually in Las Vegas, one sponsored by LVDD; the other, by Las Vegas’ Bass Pro Shops. Beyond that, members of LVDD pack up and hit the road heading to Arizona, California and Colorado, regularly. One team member, Bob Lockwood and his wife Laura, are preparing for a competition in Butte, Montana.
“We find ourselves traveling to Colorado a lot,” says Lianne, “If you want a great crowd and great scenery, the Teva Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado, is probably the most gorgeous spot to travel to.”
Most club members travel in their cars and take hotel rooms in tournament towns. La Quinta hotels are known on the dock diving circuit to be very dog friendly, so they are always a favorite.
“We have a few die-hard members who travel to many events,” shares Lianne, “And one couple that even purchased an RV just for this purpose!”
Bob is one of those members. He and his wife have traveled as far as 1800 miles for a single competition.
“We purchased a new van in June 2009 and it now has over 26,000 miles on it, all from dock diving trips,” says Bob’s wife Laura.
Bob, Laura and their dogs, Ryder and Harley, who are both titled, have a set travel routine. Bob is in charge of fixing the dogs’ two meals a day. Laura supervises the packing of their crates, shade covers and each dog’s duffle bag which contains blankets, cool coats, towels and assorted leashes, toys, bowls and shampoo.
Together, Bob and Laura pack the tent with the screens, floor, a large cooler for themselves, and another to keep the dogs’ water cool. If there is any room left, they pack a few sets of clean clothes.
“We love meeting people from different clubs all over,” says Laura, “Two months after my hip replacement surgery, we were in College Station, TX., and their club came over to help set up our equipment.
“It touched our hearts that these strangers would do this for us.”
Lianne says that any dog who likes water and likes to play with a toy is perfect for Dock Dogs. There are even divisions for lap dogs and veterans.
“Dogs with outstanding athletic ability and drive usually make it right to the top,” says Lianne, “Those are the dogs that drive you crazy around the house and constantly want you to throw the toy!”
Lianne encourages Las Vegas locals to book their first visit to the Dock Dogs club pool for free by logging onto www.lasvegasdockdogs.com. If you’re from out of town, you can log onto the national Dock Dogs’ site to find a club near you. http://www.dockdogs.com/
The club is staffed by volunteers and there are always plenty of dock doggers available to help you out, both, at practice and competitions.
Lianne says, when you pack for your first dock diving competition, be sure to bring . . .
A crate
food/water bowl
throw toy
water
food
sunscreen
a camping chair
ez-up canopy
a towel.
Las Vegas Dock Dogs Club Website
Sit Mean Sit, Las Vegas Website
Strut Your Mutt Event Website
Bass Pro Shops
Dock Diving Video Link (Lianne in Hawaii)
Dock Dogs
About the author: Natasha and her dog Seven recently joined the Las Vegas Dock Dog Club. When she’s not tossing toys in the pool for Seven, Natasha and her partner, Chris, document the lives of dogs and humans through photography and writing. All photos courtesy of Write Shot
Read more FIDO Friendly destination and health/wellness articles and get the latest and greatest in where to go with your pooch at: FIDO Friendly magazine
No comments:
Post a Comment