Jumping, catching and spinning are a few of the tricks that dazzled the crowd gathered Saturday along the Naperville Riverwalk to watch or compete in a dog competition Saturday morning.
“The prize is having fun with your dog,” said Tom Wehrli, one of the judges at the Naperville Park District Dog-Disc Championship.
Amid the backdrop of a beautiful spring day, about 80 people and their pets enjoyed music, socializing and canine entertainment, which included toss and fetch timed rounds as well as a freestyle division featuring dogs jumping over owners and flying high in the air as multiple discs were flung around their bodies.
“It’s about building a bond with that dog,” said Andrew Han, who adopted all of his dogs — “just six of them” — from shelters or rescues, a common refrain from many of the competitors.
“You don’t have to spend thousands on purebred dogs to do this,” said Han, who took first place in the freestyle pro division at a national tournament in 2014. He said the competitions are a nice break from his current life’s demands of caring for a sick relative, managing a family business and working as a Realtor. “I work hard when I’m home. Doing this forces me” to get away from that stress.
Like Han, many participants said they got involved in the sport after watching videos on YouTube. First-time competitor Sarah Hartl said the videos inspired her take classes at the Hampshire Pet Resort & Spa and eventually join the Midwest Disc Dog Club, which sponsored the Naperville event.
Despite her preparation, Hartl said she traveled from Worth strictly “for the experience” and had no illusions of winning a medal. She had a simple goal for her pit bull Murphy: “I don’t want my dog to run away” during her turn, she said laughing.
About 30 people paid $5 to $15 to compete in the novice, intermediate or open divisions; many teamed up with different dogs in various categories and were hoping to earn points toward the international World Cup Frisbee Dog Series. The judges evaluated skill and showmanship during the two-minute performance of each dog-thrower freestyle team. In the toss and fetch competition, each team focused on distance, accuracy and speed to try to earn the most points in one minute. Like a dart board, the field was marked with three sections progressively further from the starting point, with two smaller bonus semi-circles garnering more points for dogs that caught the disc within those lines.
Roberta Mecklenburg, of Elk Grove Village, said she was earning points as part of her toss and fetch league through the Midwest Disc Dog Club. She said her shepherd mix Jake “can catch anything,” so the score is “more about me” and her ability to throw.
Despite the desire for points, the laid-back nature of the four-hour event made it more about recreation than rivalry. “It’s a lifestyle now for me. I love all the friends I’ve met through this,” Han said. He said he got his first four-legged friend specifically to train him for the sport, but it “didn’t work out,” so he kept him as a pet and got another.
The dog must “love to do it” to perform well, said Han, who was out of breath when he completed each round. He attributed some of his success to his decision to start going to the gym. As an eight-year veteran of the sport, Han has traveled all over the country as part of his hobby.
“I wouldn’t have imagined doing half the stuff I’ve done: fishing in Texas, hiking in Colorado,” said Han, who competes in about 8 to 12 tournaments per season.
Like Han, 10-year-old Lucas Faragoi said he’s enjoyed all the places he’s visited for competitions, from Florida to California. Although he said he’s won a couple first-place medals, the fourth-grader said he’s more competitive about soccer than disc dog. “I have fun with the dog,” said Faragoi, who said his Australian cattle dog Lucky loves the sport too. “Wherever we are, I pull out a Frisbee, and she runs all over the place, like, When do we start?” said Faragoi, whose father helps run the Midwest Disc Dog Club.
Wehrli said the group is planning a world disc dog championship in Naperville over Memorial Day weekend that is expected to attract competitors from as far away as Japan and China.
Diane Moca is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.