It may not yet be the official dog days of summer, but it was definitely dog days in Monroe this weekend. After a hiatus last year due to the pandemic, Monroe welcomed DockDogs® downtown this weekend for a second time. The canine competitors and their handlers, some amateurs just starting out and others seasoned professionals, waited their turn on the town green to show their prowess in jumping and diving in “Big Air Wave,” Speed Retrieve” and “Extreme Vertical” competition.
Monroe residents Marc and Carole Townsend took Theo, their 2 1/2-year-old Shepadoodle (German Shepherd/Poodle mix), Saturday for his first-ever competition. It will probably not be his last.
“I think we might be hooked, simply because he loves it so much. He was raised with a swimming pool and loves to dive, swim and fetch his rubber. We have a 9-month-old female named Piper who seems to enjoy the water too, but we moved before we got her, so she wasn’t raised around the pool,” Carole Townsend said. “We’ll continue, but just because he loves it so much. We’re not so much motivated by awards and accolades as we are by fun. It’s either continue or put in another pool!”
In fact, Theo loved it so much that Townsend said he attempted another shot at it, jumping in line to get another turn.
“Theo was insane. Guess he’s not used to having to take turns. He broke free of his collar, ran up the steps, and jumped in again during another dog’s turn,” she said. “Another stellar moment in the Townsend canine family.”
The professionals, however, showed just how it is done, coming in from surrounding states to have their top dogs compete again in Monroe.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photo credits: Darrell Everidge and Sharon Swanepoel. Click on any image below to view the photos in the gallery individually.
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