Well, I had a feeling Cozmo’s shoot would be my last dog photography session in Telluride until this Summer. Right after little Cozmo’s shoot, the warm weather melted most of the snow, and photos just aren’t that pretty with mud! Most everyone has left town for off-season, so I thought I would finally get around to posting an event that Blue and I attended in Arizona a few months ago. Event photography is not my typical style at all, and I much prefer custom photography, but it was still fun and I met some really nice people. Plus, it is one of Blue’s favorite things to do.
Does your dog like to do this?
Or even better….this???
If so, you need to start looking for a Dock Dogs or Splash Dogs competition near you, because your dog is a natural for dock diving! I’ve been lucky that both my Flatcoats have had spectacular water entries…it is so much fun to watch and Blue could do it for hours. We entered our third Splash Dogs competition at the Wags for Wishes event in Arizona (all proceeds go to the Make a Wish Foundation), and Tony from Splash Dogs was nice enough to let Blue take his two jumps consecutively for each wave, so that I could photograph some of the other dogs. It was hard to narrow down my choices for this blog entry – there were really great shots of most of the dogs, and really hilarious ones too.
For those new to the sport, a very simple explanation: You take your dog up to the dock, you throw an object, your dog jumps, and the landing is measured where the base of his tail hits the water. There are several waves during the day, and at the end of the weekend, the top dogs return for the finals. There are rules of course. 🙂 I will provide links to the two organizations for more info at the end of this post.
Some dogs already know what they are doing – like Blue, it just comes naturally. Check out this Aussie. Ideally, you want some height in your dog’s jump. This dog has it nailed!
While some dogs are calm and take it all in stride, others are READY TO GO, ASAP!
I only got two shots of Blue during practice – it is pretty hard to compete and take photos of your dog at the same time! 🙂 My mom was nice enough to stand in for me while I took a few shots.
This is Vhoebe, a Belgian Malinois. I learned after our first competition over a year ago, that if Vhoebe is entered, you aren’t going to win! She is ranked in the top 5 in the country, and typically jumps around 25 feet. Sometimes more…sometimes less…but 25 feet is 25 feet… and it takes a lot to beat her! What cracks me up about Vhoebe is that while some dogs have a nice, tidy jumping style (like Blue), her legs are usually flailing all over the place, as if that will get her there faster.
There are also dogs who just aren’t so sure about this whole jumping into water deal. That is okay, and during practice the owners are careful to introduce the exit ramp to them, and get them used to the idea. This little one just isn’t too enthused though. 🙂
Some of the best shots are the ones that are taken mid-air, or landings…..
The Frenchie: Doesn’t quite have the water entry down yet…
The Border Collie: What am I doing up here?!
The Black and White Border Collie: Doesn’t care how he gets there, he is just getting his damn toy!!!!
The Black Lab : Flaps up, landing gear down!
The Jack Russell : Possibly the biggest splash of ALL the dogs entered!
The Yellow Lab: Bad throw from the owner! She is trying to put on the brakes mid-air so she can catch the bumper!
One of the rules of Splash Dogs is that you can never ever push your dog into the pool. Hmmmmm. I guess letting go doesn’t count? LOL!
We can’t forget Callie. Callie’s parents were so excited to have a photographer on site they hired me to take extra photos of her (not seen here). She is just learning, and sometimes really goes for it! Other times, stops at the end of the dock. But she is still a pup, and I bet she will be a great dock diver very soon. I’m trying to get Callie’s folks to travel to Telluride so she can have a proper photo session (Texas is no place to be in the summer, anyway)! 🙂
And lastly, we can’t forget why we were at the event. Make a Wish Foundation. There were lots of events going on at the venue and I assume that other kids were at other events, getting to work with those dogs. This one got to throw a bumper for one of the Labs. And did a great job, as you can see!
For anyone interested in entering your dog in one of these events, visit www.splashdogs.com or www.dockdogs.com. If you are a beginner, I would recommend going to one of the early waves, as they tend to be less crowded and you will have a lot more time to practice on the dock before competing.
Blue, for all that were wondering, got second place in the Open Finals. Not his best weekend, but he had fun and that is all that matters!
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