Dogs and their masters get into the fling of things in Naperville
Naperville's Last Fling lived up to its name Sunday as dog owners spent the afternoon flinging Frisbees during the Ashley Whippet Invitational Flying Disc World Championship.
The competition included a freestyle segment that was set to music - including songs like "Bad to the Bone." Contestants were judged on the types of throws, the level of coordination between master and dog and the amount of canine energy.
Among the disc tossers were Donald Lang of the Indy Dog and Disc Club (IDDC), which claims 35 members. His partner was 6-year-old Lily, an Australian shepherd mix who was rescued from a shelter.
Lang, who lives in Indianapolis, was a harsh judge of his performance but praised his partner. "She caught it quite often. I was the one who was having trouble today." Lang attributed some of his difficulty to the morning rain, which made the grass slick and caused him to fall.
Several dog owners, some with their dogs, appreciated the action from the bleachers.
"It's fun to watch the dogs jump in the air," said Merritt Harrison of Naperville. "We have one dog that couldn't do any of these stunts." He said he throws a tennis ball to Scout, a German shorthaired pointer who did not accompany his master to the event. "She's good at catching. She's not good at bringing back. So it's nice to see that other dogs can be trained."
Durai Appadurai of Naperville was also enjoying the competition, along with his two dogs, 11-year-old Spot, a cocker spaniel-dachsund mix who won third-place last year in a barking contest, and Stella, a Sheltie puppy.
Cody Brickner, who was thinking of entering the competition but pulled out because of a prior commitment, said smaller dogs, such as border collies, are very adaptable to the sport. "But you can train any dog to catch a Frisbee. It's not that hard." What is a challenge is the communication between dog and master, he said. "If you can Frisbee golf and you can teach your dog to catch a Frisbee, you can do this."