Flyball!

I haven't posted much about Flyball, which is odd because it's the dog sport that I actually DO the most. Wyatt and I run Flyball with the Muddy Paws A-Flyin' team here in Salem. We joined them about a year ago, after "defecting" from the Portland Tail Blazers.

Wyatt has turned out to be a wonderfully fast (4.21 seconds) and reliable Flyball dog. He loves to race the dog in the other lane, and he especially loves running in the start position (b/c then he's going head to head with the other dog, right off the bat.) He stares the other guy down while we're waiting for the lights to go, and then he flies down the lane like a bullet from a gun.

His turn is a thing of beauty, too...if I do say so myself. He doesn't stutter-step up to the box, but rather he hurls himself full-power onto it with all four paws, then pushes off with his back legs, just like the swimmers that give the "swimmer's box turn" its name. And his turn doesn't fade. He does it the same way, every time. (beaming)

This is the shot I never get to see myself, because by the time he's running back to me, I've turned and am running away from him, screaming his name at the top of my lungs. That really speeds him up because he's trying to catch me. His return tends to be even faster than his run to the box.

After the run, happy dog, happy human.