10
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Paving
project
resumes
on Hwy. 20
Sisters pooch wins dock diving competition
By Jodi Schneider
Correspondent
High-flying dogs and loud
music are what you get when
you have a dock-diving dog
competition at the Deschutes
County Fair, presented by
Xtreme DogSports (XAD)
aka DogTown.
Mike Allen, emcee
and known as mayor of
DogTown, founded the com-
petitive dog sports creation
in 2003 and the company has
gained momentum at fairs
all over the West. Xtreme
DogSports hosts dock diving,
disc games, and K9X, which
is a fast-paced run, jump, and
grab ground-based sport for
dogs with high energy to have
a blast.
Allen said, <Our mission
is to improve the lives of
canines and our human XAD
family and fans.=
Brian Fowler, Sisters
resident and assistant super-
intendent at Aspen Lakes
Golf Course, signed up his
3-year-old dog Benny, a
chocolate Labrador retriever
and Chesapeake Bay mix,
last year with XAD in their
<Give it a Try= program in
Susanville, California. Benny
<leaped= into the Pro Dog
status and has excelled at
rapid disk, speed disk, speed
retrieve, and holds the record
at 7 feet 6 inches in the dock
diving high jump. Neither had
experience with dog sports
competitions and Fowler
thought it would be a great
activity for his high-energy
pooch.
<I9ve been watching dog
diving on ESPN for years,=
Fowler said. <And one day
Benny and I were hanging out
at the Deschutes River with
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family and I threw a ball out
into the water off the dock for
the heck of it and he really
took off after it.
<I found Xtreme
DogSports online in Junction
City at a fair,= he added. <We
went there and that9s where it
all started. It was that first toss
and jump that he showed a nat-
ural talent for water sports.=
Fowler grew up in Bend,
graduating from Bend High
School in the early 1990s. He
joined the Navy, then had a
variety of jobs until he landed
at Crosswater Golf Course
in Sunriver. He9s been with
Aspen Lakes Golf Course for
the last five years, and in the
golf industry for nearly 20
years.
Allen noted, <Brian and
Benny came in at the tail end
of last season. It9s absolutely
amazing for a dog to dock
jump like that without any
training at all. He9s a natural.=
Dock diving is an excit-
ing canine sport that grows
in popularity each year. All
breeds are welcome, but many
dock dogs are Labradors. It9s
been around for a while and
there are shows worldwide.
Dock diving, also called
dock jumping, first appeared
at the 1997 Purina Incredible
Dog Challenge.
Xtreme DogSports revolu-
tionizes dock diving by using
a bumper. The event requires
jumping out for length, jump-
ing up for height, and racing
from one end of the pool to
the other and back (speed
retrieve). During the high
dive and long jump into the
pool, the use of a bumper is
important for reaching height
and distance. To complete
the high dive the bumper is
moved higher over the water
PHOTO PROVIDED
Benny is ready to jump and grab the bumper.
after each dog succeeds in
either catching it in their
mouth or at least knocking it
down off the magnets into the
water and retrieving it.
Kristin Airoldi, marketing
director for XAD, grew up in
Central Oregon. She earned a
degree in international affairs
and has had various positions
in the past from nonprofit to
large corporations.
Airoldi said, <These dog
handlers are competitive yet
caring of their dog9s health
and safety. Mike is inspira-
tional, he9s all about motiva-
tion and praise. Mike emcees
all the events and there9s a
whole team who helps set up,
take down and keep score.=
Last weekend, Fowler and
Benny competed through-
out the day at the Xtreme
DogSports competition held
at the Deschutes County Fair.
Benny geared up for the 6
p.m. hi-jump competition held
at the XAD9s big pool 4 and
won first place jumping up to
seven feet after his opponent
was ruled out. He went on
for fun and nearly made it to
seven feet six inches.
Learn more about XAD at
www.xtremedogsports.com.
Travelers using U.S. 20
over the Santiam Pass are
reminded that a paving proj-
ect resumed last Sunday eve-
ning. Paving is scheduled on
Sunday nights from 7 p.m. to
8 a.m. and Monday through
Thursday nights 6 p.m. to
10 a.m.
Two-way traffic will be
controlled with flaggers and
a pilot car. Travelers should
expect up to 20-minute
delays. The project will be
completed by October 31.
The project covers almost
14 miles from Santiam
Junction in Linn County
(milepost 74.5) to Jack Lake
Road in Jefferson County
(milepost 88.2).
Stay informed and know
before you go by checking
the latest road and travel con-
ditions and traffic alerts at
www.tripcheck.com or call
5-1-1.
Motorists should stay alert
and watch construction signs
and construction workers in
the work zone.
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By William Shakespeare
Sunday, August 11
at 3 p.m.
Village Green Park
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