Canine Games

Date           10 Sep 1999 16:30:19 PDT
Newsgroups     rec.pets.dogs.activities
Message-ID     <37D994AC.57A5@cris.com>

This is a report on the Canine Games held Saturday, September 4, 1999
at Jones Point Park in Alexandria, Virginia USA.

The Canine Games are organized by the Animal Welfare League of
Alexandria. Approximately 540 dogs participated this year.

These are a few of the events:

	"Dog Bowling", in which the dog, through the coaching
	of its person, knocks down as many bowling pins as
	possible. A dog that gets very energized when a visitor
	enters the living room would be well suited to this
	event.

	"40 Yard Dash", where four dogs are held still, each
	in its own lane, by four event officials; each dog's
	person is at the other end of the lane. The dogs are
	released and dash to be reunited with their humans.

	An event in which dogs chase and retrieve tennis balls.
	One particular Jack Russell terrier was seen to be
	especially adept at this event, being both very energetic
	and built low to the ground.

	A baseball event in which the leashed dog and its human
	run the bases; the dog must sit at each base before
	running to the next one.

	An event in which the dog's human (sometimes multiple
	humans) is hidden in a large cardboard box, with a
	sheet covering the box's entrance. The dog is released,
	and seeks its person concealed in the box, who calls
	for the dog. Typically the dog, hearing but not seeing
	its person, becomes rather confused. Some dogs respond
	by expressing more interest in nearby dogs than in
	being reunited. This event brings to mind the dog
	depicted in the RCA Victor advertisements, puzzled by
	the incongruity of his master's voice coming from the
	phonograph.

	An event similar to the forty yard dash, but with
	several distractions placed in the dog's path, including
	treats, toys, and a person sitting in a chair. Some
	dogs expressed more interest in the diversion than in
	a quick reunion.

Several three-legged dogs participated, including one in a frisbee
catching competition and one in a tennis ball catching competition.

The adjacent Potomac River served as an unofficial venue for a
number of dogs and their humans. Several dogs (predominantly
Labrador Retrievers) swam into the river to retrieve thrown
sticks. Occasionally two dogs contending for the same stick
would tussle in the water, not unlike contentious players in
the human sport of water polo.

RELATED LINKS

Canine Games:

	http://www.adoptapet.com/alexandria/canine2.html

Animal Welfare League of Alexandria:

	http://www.adoptapet.com/alexandria/

Dogs and Cats With Special Needs webring:

	http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=specialneeds&list