Who would have thought that in the fall of 2007 that the 5 pound black lab that we brought home would have turned into what we have now? On the crisp Saturday morning we had a long ride out to Lake Orion to pick her up. She was so small. 5 weeks old. Too young to bring home but the home owner wanted them out. So, for a hundred bucks and a hand shake we made our way home. On I-75 our black beauty pukes on the lap of my wife and then has some of the most heinous smelling rot butt diarrhea that also included round worms. That was it for Lori. The gagging started and then some puke on her own. On the side of 75 south bound I am tending to my sick wife and sick puppy and the messed up befouled vehicle that I would venture to say would never be the same after that afternoon.
Our first dock jumping competition. Maddy surprised us. She had lightning speed on the dock. She got down that dock so fast and had a nice jump in the 19's. We were so happy.
As we left the vet with a fat bill and a handful of medications we were more enamored by the schooling we just got. We were taking her home a month too soon. she had not been weaned off her mothers feeding and she had worms. We knew that part. But she was energetic and loving. she loved her home, her big back yard and she loved us. It took 2 nights for her to get used to sleeping all night. She loved regular dog food and she started to fetch right away. And she wanted to fetch all of the time.
By the end of Maddy's first year in dock jumping she was winning every event we entered and even won a qualifier to compete in the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge-the only event that we receive money to compete. We were floored. What an amazing experience. Maddy finished 7th or second to last depending on how you want to look at it. Maddy also won events including the Traverse City Cherry Festival in front of thousands of people. At this point if We entered Maddy in an event she would win more Ultimate Division titles-I won't say lost any titles because every event every dog is a winner-her "losses" just means she didn't place first-she won a many and placed lower only a few times. But there were so many great jumping dogs coming onto the scene. Competition is getting stiffer
The first weekend we brought Maddy home our friends come over with their 100 pound Ridge back. Maddy didn't back down. They went at it. Maddy barked and yapped and tugged and scrapped. Made for some great laughs and some good photos.
We entered Maddy in the outdoor events and won those except for the Outdoorama. Which featured many great jumping dogs. I think Drew pulled that event victory. Great jumping
Drew. great jumping dog
Indy (miss you Tina)
Gauge-awesome dog
Sky, great athlete
gauge
jitterbug-huge jumping JRT
Maddy would go on to make us laugh and laugh. She was a happy, quirky fun dog. With so much energy. She spoke a language that we didn't understand. She would give us hints that we couldn't pick up. But we would figure each other out along the way. She wiggles her but when she wags her tail-from the shoulder back-like a weapon. So funny.
Maddy would win another PIDC qualifier in 2011 after winning the Blue Ash Bacon Festival with her personal best jump of 27'4". This jump clearly made her the longest jumping Labrador retriever and longest jumping female dog in the country. Pretty happy doggy parents here.
She would go on to finish 8th at the PIDC or last depending on how you look at it.
Backing up to 2009 Maddy would learn how to play "Fetch It" a wonderful game. In Chicago with cold tail (equivalent of an ankle sprain) she would pick it up pretty fast. A bumper is held 4 feet over the water and 10 feet away from the dock. As your dog jumps out and "fetches" the bumper it will get moved out to 11-12-13 and so on until the dog misses. The next time she would compete in Fetch It would be in Owosso MI at the Curwood Festival.
The Curwood Festival will feature some great jumping, thunderstorms and a tornado. We entered Maddy at 15 feet in fetch it. We didn't know how far she would go. It was pretty common to see 16-17-18 feet but at this time Nash held the World Record at 19 feet. Maddy and Cowboy would go jump for jump 18-19-20-21 and now 22. Maddy hit it first. Which means she broke the World Record first. 22 feet and we were crazy excited. It was raining, people left, threat of storms and tornado warnings. The jumping continues. Maddy jumped for 23. Missed by a whisker. Her second attempt she missed by a foot-she was tired and currently sitting in first place with 3 world records. Cowboy set the record with an amazing 23 foot jump pulling down the bumper. A win and a World Record. Great job Cowboy, great job. Maddy Cowboy and Nai'a would compete in fetch it and figure in the top 3 somehow over many competitions. People would actually be disappointed when the 3 dogs were there for fetch it. They didn't have much of a chance if those 3 were there. Just stating a fact.
Ultimate Air Games-Cowboy 1st Nai'a and Maddy tie for 2nd Milt presenting the trophy
talking about it
backing it up
going for it
will she?
BOOM
Fist pump for the 22 footer
that is really far
23 footer and she exhausted
Maddy is not a good traveler. In the back of the truck (that we bought for dock jumping trips) she would pace and and whimper. Ugh. Everywhere we went. The groomer or 10 hour trip to St Louis. Just awful. So, we traveled with her less. Too many headaches and sleepless nights in hotels.
Earlier this summer we were invited to compete at the PPPIDC as part of a demo. The demo would feature Fetch It. Early in the year it was set up to feature several dog breeds to show that any dog can do it. Nathan Jr is a beautiful sheppard mix, Connor a Doberman, Baxter/Malenois, Nash/Malenois, Cowboy/Chesapeake Bay Retriever and Maddy a field lab. A field lab is a Labrador retriever but better. Every dog had various levels of success at this game. Nash was a world record holder. Cowboy the current record holder. Other dogs I had no idea what they can do. At the dock jumping events you always try to feel out the competition. It's just what the human ego does. At practice all of the dogs hit their marks. We only wanted Maddy to hit 18 and 19 just to get the feel of the dock. Cowboy jumped 19 and then went to 21. The 21 looked effortless. Cowboy was a shoe in. just amazing.
The event. 3 of the dogs came in at 16 foot. You had to come in by 18-which is still short but we play by the rules.
Nathan JR
Nathan JR
The event organizers had no idea what they were in for. There was a 45 minute rain delay. The fans stuck around. Not as packed as years before but there was a good group. All of the dogs got their first 2 jumps and then they started to fall out. 20 feet featured Nash, Maddy, Cowboy and Baxter.
Nash
Baxter
Cowboy
Maddy
After 20 There was just Maddy and Cowboy. The crowd was into it. You could hear the celebration when the dogs would grab the bumpers and the disappointment when they missed. I tried to congratulate all of the dogs/handlers as they jumped out. No matter how far they jump it's an awesome display of dog athleticism and an awesome display of dog and owner relationship. these dogs love to perform for their handler. That is why it is always important to celebrate what they do. Always love on them always reward them with happy words and support. all they want to do is make us happy-period.
Maddy hits 21
Cowboy Hits 21
The rain let up.
The crowd was rocking. They cheered louder and louder as the distance was inched out. Milt was getting the crowd going.
Maddy hits 22-tying her personal best
Cowboy hits 22-really looking like he is not even warmed up.
The announcer nicknames Maddy "The Black Rocket." Blazing fast and a flat jumping style but her speed carries her out over the water. After the 22 footer was measured they used the overhead camera to judge total distance to the nose-Both Dogs were over 29'6" to the nose.
The crowd is really getting behind the next jump. Maddy has attempted and come close in the past but never got 23.
Her first attempt she misses 23. She is exhausted. She sits herself at the end of the dock. she never sits. I am thinking she is done. But I continue with the affirmation. "you can do this" "you got this" "you have to go hard" "luv ya baby" "you're a good girl" "are you ready?" "ok lets go get it!!!!"
Then she scoots herself backwards down the dock-the crowd loves it-the laugh and clap. It is funny.
Our usual routine...She coots back to where I am standing and I pick her up by the shoulders on her back legs so she can get a good look at the bumper and I can get in her ear-more saying as the above. Let her down grab the hips and pull her back and let her rip.............
So fast........
So true........
I think back to when we first got her and she met the 100 pound ridgeback, Cooper. No matter how rough they got she never backed down, she was relentless and at times she was ferocious. She would snap at him. Run around. Cause a stir. But was never out done and never defeated.
With my own ego Maddy has never lost. Not once. Ever!!! That being said she has not always placed first. But she wins everyday in our hearts and she will always-always and forever be our "Little Maddy Girl."
Reaching the end of the dock at full speed she pulls her back legs forward grabs the edge of the dock by her back paws uses her huge butt muscles to extend her strong hips and soars into the air over the water. To me it is in slow motion....Inching closer to the bumper....Holding my breath......the crowd is doing the same......I can't hear a thing...Like always at the last second her mouth opens.....23 feet. Great job, Baby. You bring me to tears sometimes and this is no different occasion. Congratulations, Little cricket legs.....
talking about it
"you can do this, babe."
lock it in, "here you go."
"Little Maddy-girl."
go it
fist pump for the grab. the camera missed the 4 foot jump and slam on the dock. Shhh. Don't tell that Carson's I did it.
Cowboy only needs 1 try. Nails 23. Great job.
Both dogs miss 24 but not by much. they both made the bumper swing because they got so close. Maddy takes 2nd place to Cowboy because Maddy had 3 misses to Cowboys 2. Great dog. Great Day.
Cowboy 1st
Maddy 2nd
Nash 3rd
You have to win to get the interview!
Laker was a true champ all weekend. We tried the last chance qualifier with him and he made the final 10-getting an extra jump-he jumped farther in big air than Maddy ever did at Purina.
He napped in the truck......
....but don't feel sorry for him. He enjoyed his time there.
coming home.
awe
in the end they are still just puppies.
just a little bit more special.
...because they love us!
Our first dock jumping competition. Maddy surprised us. She had lightning speed on the dock. She got down that dock so fast and had a nice jump in the 19's. We were so happy.
As we left the vet with a fat bill and a handful of medications we were more enamored by the schooling we just got. We were taking her home a month too soon. she had not been weaned off her mothers feeding and she had worms. We knew that part. But she was energetic and loving. she loved her home, her big back yard and she loved us. It took 2 nights for her to get used to sleeping all night. She loved regular dog food and she started to fetch right away. And she wanted to fetch all of the time.
By the end of Maddy's first year in dock jumping she was winning every event we entered and even won a qualifier to compete in the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge-the only event that we receive money to compete. We were floored. What an amazing experience. Maddy finished 7th or second to last depending on how you want to look at it. Maddy also won events including the Traverse City Cherry Festival in front of thousands of people. At this point if We entered Maddy in an event she would win more Ultimate Division titles-I won't say lost any titles because every event every dog is a winner-her "losses" just means she didn't place first-she won a many and placed lower only a few times. But there were so many great jumping dogs coming onto the scene. Competition is getting stiffer
The first weekend we brought Maddy home our friends come over with their 100 pound Ridge back. Maddy didn't back down. They went at it. Maddy barked and yapped and tugged and scrapped. Made for some great laughs and some good photos.
Yeah, that's Maddy.
We entered Maddy in the outdoor events and won those except for the Outdoorama. Which featured many great jumping dogs. I think Drew pulled that event victory. Great jumping
Drew. great jumping dog
Indy (miss you Tina)
Gauge-awesome dog
Sky, great athlete
gauge
jitterbug-huge jumping JRTMaddy would go on to make us laugh and laugh. She was a happy, quirky fun dog. With so much energy. She spoke a language that we didn't understand. She would give us hints that we couldn't pick up. But we would figure each other out along the way. She wiggles her but when she wags her tail-from the shoulder back-like a weapon. So funny.
She would go on to finish 8th at the PIDC or last depending on how you look at it.
Backing up to 2009 Maddy would learn how to play "Fetch It" a wonderful game. In Chicago with cold tail (equivalent of an ankle sprain) she would pick it up pretty fast. A bumper is held 4 feet over the water and 10 feet away from the dock. As your dog jumps out and "fetches" the bumper it will get moved out to 11-12-13 and so on until the dog misses. The next time she would compete in Fetch It would be in Owosso MI at the Curwood Festival.
The Curwood Festival will feature some great jumping, thunderstorms and a tornado. We entered Maddy at 15 feet in fetch it. We didn't know how far she would go. It was pretty common to see 16-17-18 feet but at this time Nash held the World Record at 19 feet. Maddy and Cowboy would go jump for jump 18-19-20-21 and now 22. Maddy hit it first. Which means she broke the World Record first. 22 feet and we were crazy excited. It was raining, people left, threat of storms and tornado warnings. The jumping continues. Maddy jumped for 23. Missed by a whisker. Her second attempt she missed by a foot-she was tired and currently sitting in first place with 3 world records. Cowboy set the record with an amazing 23 foot jump pulling down the bumper. A win and a World Record. Great job Cowboy, great job. Maddy Cowboy and Nai'a would compete in fetch it and figure in the top 3 somehow over many competitions. People would actually be disappointed when the 3 dogs were there for fetch it. They didn't have much of a chance if those 3 were there. Just stating a fact.
Who is that guy??? Touchdown John
Sponsorships
Over the next several years we would enter 20+ events a year. the cost would be huge but we would have fun with friends and dogs and sunburn and carnival food. as time went on she would win some and place lower in some but it began to become more than a victory. People would seek us out and ask advice in how to get their dog to jump farther or run faster etc. Until the time we noticed when she would stop at the end of the dock, slow down, or just not jump far. Injured? Not having fun? Bored? Not sure. We entered fewer contests. It really was just getting expensive. It started to become the center of drama. We would lose a few friends. So, we just entered the events we really enjoyed. Cherry Fest, Otsego, Detroit River Days to name a few. Group dinners became the theme.
Maddy at the CherryFest "Fetch It"
Cowboy "Fetch It" at the Traverse City CherryFest
talking about it
backing it up
going for it
will she?
BOOM
Fist pump for the 22 footer
that is really far
23 footer and she exhausted
and it will have to stand at 22.
Maddy 1st
Cowboy 2nd
Forest 3rd
Maddy is not a good traveler. In the back of the truck (that we bought for dock jumping trips) she would pace and and whimper. Ugh. Everywhere we went. The groomer or 10 hour trip to St Louis. Just awful. So, we traveled with her less. Too many headaches and sleepless nights in hotels.
Earlier this summer we were invited to compete at the PPPIDC as part of a demo. The demo would feature Fetch It. Early in the year it was set up to feature several dog breeds to show that any dog can do it. Nathan Jr is a beautiful sheppard mix, Connor a Doberman, Baxter/Malenois, Nash/Malenois, Cowboy/Chesapeake Bay Retriever and Maddy a field lab. A field lab is a Labrador retriever but better. Every dog had various levels of success at this game. Nash was a world record holder. Cowboy the current record holder. Other dogs I had no idea what they can do. At the dock jumping events you always try to feel out the competition. It's just what the human ego does. At practice all of the dogs hit their marks. We only wanted Maddy to hit 18 and 19 just to get the feel of the dock. Cowboy jumped 19 and then went to 21. The 21 looked effortless. Cowboy was a shoe in. just amazing.
The event. 3 of the dogs came in at 16 foot. You had to come in by 18-which is still short but we play by the rules.
Nathan JR
Nathan JRThe event organizers had no idea what they were in for. There was a 45 minute rain delay. The fans stuck around. Not as packed as years before but there was a good group. All of the dogs got their first 2 jumps and then they started to fall out. 20 feet featured Nash, Maddy, Cowboy and Baxter.
Nash
Baxter
Cowboy
MaddyAfter 20 There was just Maddy and Cowboy. The crowd was into it. You could hear the celebration when the dogs would grab the bumpers and the disappointment when they missed. I tried to congratulate all of the dogs/handlers as they jumped out. No matter how far they jump it's an awesome display of dog athleticism and an awesome display of dog and owner relationship. these dogs love to perform for their handler. That is why it is always important to celebrate what they do. Always love on them always reward them with happy words and support. all they want to do is make us happy-period.
Maddy hits 21
Cowboy Hits 21
The rain let up.
The crowd was rocking. They cheered louder and louder as the distance was inched out. Milt was getting the crowd going.
Maddy hits 22-tying her personal best
Cowboy hits 22-really looking like he is not even warmed up.
The announcer nicknames Maddy "The Black Rocket." Blazing fast and a flat jumping style but her speed carries her out over the water. After the 22 footer was measured they used the overhead camera to judge total distance to the nose-Both Dogs were over 29'6" to the nose.
The crowd is really getting behind the next jump. Maddy has attempted and come close in the past but never got 23.
Her first attempt she misses 23. She is exhausted. She sits herself at the end of the dock. she never sits. I am thinking she is done. But I continue with the affirmation. "you can do this" "you got this" "you have to go hard" "luv ya baby" "you're a good girl" "are you ready?" "ok lets go get it!!!!"
Then she scoots herself backwards down the dock-the crowd loves it-the laugh and clap. It is funny.
Our usual routine...She coots back to where I am standing and I pick her up by the shoulders on her back legs so she can get a good look at the bumper and I can get in her ear-more saying as the above. Let her down grab the hips and pull her back and let her rip.............
So fast........
So true........
I think back to when we first got her and she met the 100 pound ridgeback, Cooper. No matter how rough they got she never backed down, she was relentless and at times she was ferocious. She would snap at him. Run around. Cause a stir. But was never out done and never defeated.
With my own ego Maddy has never lost. Not once. Ever!!! That being said she has not always placed first. But she wins everyday in our hearts and she will always-always and forever be our "Little Maddy Girl."
Reaching the end of the dock at full speed she pulls her back legs forward grabs the edge of the dock by her back paws uses her huge butt muscles to extend her strong hips and soars into the air over the water. To me it is in slow motion....Inching closer to the bumper....Holding my breath......the crowd is doing the same......I can't hear a thing...Like always at the last second her mouth opens.....23 feet. Great job, Baby. You bring me to tears sometimes and this is no different occasion. Congratulations, Little cricket legs.....
talking about it
"you can do this, babe."
lock it in, "here you go."
"Little Maddy-girl."
go it
fist pump for the grab. the camera missed the 4 foot jump and slam on the dock. Shhh. Don't tell that Carson's I did it.Cowboy only needs 1 try. Nails 23. Great job.
Both dogs miss 24 but not by much. they both made the bumper swing because they got so close. Maddy takes 2nd place to Cowboy because Maddy had 3 misses to Cowboys 2. Great dog. Great Day.
Cowboy 1st
Maddy 2nd
Nash 3rd
You have to win to get the interview!
But all of us are winners.
Laker was a true champ all weekend. We tried the last chance qualifier with him and he made the final 10-getting an extra jump-he jumped farther in big air than Maddy ever did at Purina.
We did get him out and play Frisbee a couple of times but for the most part.....
He napped in the truck......
....but don't feel sorry for him. He enjoyed his time there.
coming home.
awe
in the end they are still just puppies.
just a little bit more special.
...because they love us!
excuse me *sniff* I think I got a little something in my eye... great story, great dog, great sportsmanship - thank you!
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