OUTLET: The Beacon
A water rescue typically means pulling somebody out of the drink, but these rescues can’t wait to get into it.
DockDogs, an international sport in which dogs compete in various aquatic events for distance, height or speed, has turned out to be a lifesaver for many abandoned animals rescued from shelters.
Over the past two years, Tidewater DockDogs, a chapter of the national organization, has saved an estimated 30 dogs through its shelter program. President Ashley Rogers said the program is unique to the area, but they have been receiving interest from other chapters looking to do the same.
“DockDogs is a fantastic sporting event in its own right,” she said. “We’ve just found that it can save dogs’ lives, too.”
Rogers and a core of volunteers select shelter dogs for orientation in the sport.
“If you’ve ever been through a shelter with hundreds of animals, such as Virginia Beach Animal Control, after a while the dogs start looking the same,” Rogers said. “When people see our tag on the kennel, they understand that this dog wants to please somebody and be useful.”
While many dogs are adopted from the kennel, Rogers said others find homes at the DockDogs competitions.
“We trained and sponsored eight shelter dogs for a local competition, and five were adopted,” she said. “It’s been a huge success.”
The international sporting event is loaded with thoroughbred dogs, but rescues are clearly welcome.
Virginia Beach resident Emily Glickman and her rescued shepherd-mix, Brody, have been competing for three years.
“I saw the Tidewater DockDogs information at Care-A-Lot and signed up for an orientation,” said Glickman. “Brody has always had strong ball drive, and I knew it would be a great outlet for his excess energy.”
Glickman trains weekly during the competitive season at a DockDogs facility located at Shipps Corner.
“They guided him into the pool the first few times, and he really took to it,” Glickman said. “Like a lot of shelter dogs, Brody is pretty intelligent and fairly obsessive, and the sport gave him a great way to focus and have fun.”
Ollie, a 4-year-old mixed-breed rescue, started competing with DockDogs in 2012 to help improve his social skills. Virginia Beach owner Alison Morin said Ollie has grown in confidence.
“Ollie loves water, and he competes in the Big Air, Speed Retrieve, Extreme Vertical and Iron Dog,” Morin said. “He’s met fantastic people and dogs through this and has come a long way.”
Rogers said the club is looking to enter one shelter dog in the Care-A-Lot DockDog event.
“It’s a full 60 seconds of undivided attention from all sorts of dog lovers,” she said. “It works.”
Care-A-Lot is also hosting an adoption promotion. People who adopt pets from the Norfolk SPCA will get a “starter kit” to help with initial pet care costs.
Irene Bowers, bowersi@aol.com
