Two chocolate labrador retrievers named Luna and Duck are starting to make a name for themselves in dock diving competitions in BC, and soon, in the United States.
According to the organization North American Diving Dogs (NADD), dock diving offers a platform for dogs and their handlers to showcase their athleticism, agility and bond in a fun and competitive environment.
qathet resident Ashley Almas introduced her mother (Luna) and son (Duck) canines to the sport of dock diving a few years ago. They trained at the Pooch Pool School in Nanaimo, which has since moved to Duncan, that was opened in 2021. The first officially sanctioned dock-diving facility on Vancouver Island is owned by Kim Sirett.
"I have friends in the dog community, they told me about a pool that opened up and I decided to go over and give it a try," said Almas. "It [getting into competitions] went from there, because my two dogs love water, and they love to retrieve and those are the two main things you need."
Almas started taking Luna and Duck for lessons in distance jump, air retrieve and hydro-dash, which Luna took to right away, while Duck needed a little more encouragement to get started.
"It's a 60-foot pool and then the dock is 40 feet, and it's enclosed in a fence for safety reasons," said Almas. "My female had no problem whatsoever but my male, he was kind of iffy," said Almas. "We competed at the Canadian Western Regionals in Duncan and then we got our invitations to the nationals, which will be held in Springfield, Missouri."
Almas has been fundraising for the national competition that takes place at the end of October, in order to raise funds for travel and accommodation while at the dock diving competition.
"[The dock diving community is] a great group of people and we all have fun," said Almas. "It's not really competitive until you get to regionals and nationals level and you're just trying to get your dog to jump the best that it can."
Almas often goes to Comox, which has another sanctioned pool, where the mother and son canines splash, dive and have fun with other dogs; the humans have fun, too, said Almas. "My female competes in all three competitions and she currently has invitations for two distance and hydro-dash at the nationals," said Almas. "My male, he only competes in distance and hydro-dash, and he got both invitations for that."
Almas and her dogs will be some of the very few Canadians going to the nationals in the United States this October.
"There is a growing interest here, but it comes down to getting municipal governments on board," said Almas.
To find out about the dog group in the qathet region or to find out more about North American Diving Dogs, Almas can be contacted through her Facebook page at facebook.com/AshleyTomato.
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