Dock Dogs/Dogs Daze II pool jumping competition, local try-out Aug. 17-19
Trent Steele watches his dog, Buck, try out Pooch Plunge during Inaugural Dog Daze events in September 2017 in Village Green Shopping Center parking lot.
Festivities will take place in Village Green Shopping Center parking lot, just south of Stein Mart and the relatively new Planet Fitness, Friday, Aug. 17, through Sunday, Aug.19.
Once again expecting to attract dog owners from across the Southeast, “More than 30 competitors participated and more than 2,500 visitors attended the Farragut event last year,” a Shop Farragut press release stated. There is no charge for admission.
“We had over 45 dogs of every breed imaginable totaling 258 entries into each of the various competitions last year. These pets represented entries from six different states,” said Steve Krempasky, Shop Farragut/Farragut business Alliance executive director.
At stake are “qualifying points toward attendance at the World Championships, which coincidently will be held once again in Knoxville at the Civic (Coliseum) Oct. 13-19,” the press release further stated.
Festivities will start at 4 p.m., Friday evening, with a local dog “Pooch Plunge” until 7 p.m. Local dog owners will have the opportunity to have their dog, or puppy, try a dock dive.
K9 Pet Services of East Tennessee has underwritten the Pooch Plunge activity, which will allow non-competitors to try the DockDog experience free of charge.
“Last year, our Club helped 33 local pet owners try a dock dive. I believe that is a new benchmark for this type of event,” said Trent Steele, Smoky Mountain Dock Dogs president.
If anyone is interested in entering their dog in the actual competition (all breeds accepted), e-mail dd_admin@dockdogs.com, call the office at 330-241-4975 or go online https://dockdogs.com/eventscal/dog-daze-at-village-green/#.
Competitions will commence at 11 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 18.
Final rounds of competition and award presentations will take place Sunday afternoon, Aug. 19. (Details below).
Saturday, Aug. 18: onsite registration/ practice, 10 a.m.; Big Air WAVE No. 1, 11 a.m.; Big Air WAVE No. 2, 12:30 p.m.; Big Air WAVE No. 3, 2 p.m.; Big Air WAVE No. 4, 3:30 p.m.; Extreme Vertical (All in one), 5 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 19: on-site registration/ practice, 11 a.m.; Big Air WAVE No. 5, noon; Speed Retrieve (All-in-One finals), 1:30 p.m.; Big Air Finals start at 3 p.m. (Pro, Semi-Pro, Contender and Amateur finals).
Dog Daze II is made possible from support from TDS Telecom, SouthEast Bank, Costco Wholesale, Ricki’s Pet Depot, Upbeat K9, Hush Puppy’s Pet Services, K9 Center of East TN and Natural Balance.
First Utility District also is a major sponsor, supplying more than 27,000 gallons of fresh Tennessee River water to fill the pool for the weekend.
