Disc-catching dogs compete in Naperville's Spring Fever Reliever
Roxi was your typical, misunderstood rock star.
She had the talent, but no stage.
At 10 weeks old, the puppy, a cattle dog-Jack Russell terrier mix, already had been given up by two owners who didn't know how to channel her energy.
She ended up at Border Collie Rescue of Minnesota, where her Cinderella story begins.
"I have your next Frisbee dog," a friend at the shelter told Rob Wyka.
Wyka, Roxi's owner, has transformed her from a rescue to a serious contender on the disc dog circuit who competed in the world championships last fall.
Her first contest of the season was the Canine Dog Disc Championships Saturday in Naperville.
"These dogs need a job," Wyka said. "As cute as they are, they're not meant to just hang around in the house. You put them in a situation like this, and they excel."
The display of canine athleticism was part of the Naperville Park District's Spring Fever Reliever along the Riverwalk. The second annual event was a collective sigh of relief; a way to welcome in the warmer weather after the merciless winter, organizers say.
And it's not lost on the dogs.
"They have been itching for the snow to melt and just get out and play," Wyka said alongside a contented Roxi. "She's in heaven right now."
The competition, sponsored by the Midwest Disc Dog Club, tests communication between dog and handler. Wyka called out the commands, while Roxi pulled off the stunts - vaulting off his back, sprinting or threading between his legs before catching the disc.
"We're a team," said the Gilberts man, who discovered the sport while living in Naperville. "She'll bail me out if something is not right or the wind's blowing funny. If I have to kind of ad-lib a little bit, she's with it."
Spectator Jim Ernest complimented the entertaining pooches and the park district's invitation to the outdoors.
"Any day to be out, even when it's overcast, is a great day," the Plainfield man said.
Farther east along the Riverwalk, youngsters bounced off inflatables and toured a Neptune, N.J., fire truck among the first to respond to the World Trade Center on 9/11. The vehicle was donated to Bike Bald, a cycling group that supports children with cancer and one of the nonprofits that joined in the Spring Reliever.
The Naperville Jaycees sold lobsters, and bands played along the quarry, where the park district offered discounted paddleboat and kayak rentals.
"The last couple of winters have been challenging, and this is just one of those things to really kind of get us up and going," said Fred Gusel, the park district's program manager.
By the Grand Pavilion, most of the dogs, like Roxi, competing Saturday were rescues who now train daily, Wyka said.
She's got some hardware, he said, but this year's she "expected to really come into her own" during the season.
"It just gets hotter," he said.