Aqua Dogs - Sutton Fair and Horse Show August 2016

A couple of weeks ago our town held its annual summer fair. It's our first year living here so of course we had to go and check it out.

It's a pretty small fair and we thought we wouldn't be there very long. You know - see the cows, pet a goat, buy some mini donuts, head on home. But they had something else that grabbed our attention and kept us there for hours (without sunscreen or hats). They had......Aqua Dogs Dock Diving!

Dock diving is an agility program, run in Ontario by RuffSport, where dogs run down a man-made dock and jump into a pool of water, competing for distance, speed, or height. We watched the distance competition and it was AMAZING. Dogs of all sizes and ages were doing it, some able to jump 20+ feet!

The dogs and the handlers were all having such a good time that we couldn't stop talking about how our dogs would take to the training. Chloe loves to jump into the water but hates to run, while Sasha loves to run but hates swimming. Bit of a conundrum there.

There were a couple of dogs like Sasha - they ran down the dock but then skidded to a stop at the end, refusing to go in. The handlers can encourage them but aren't allowed to push the dog into the water.

And then there was one dog that wouldn't get out of the pool so his owner had to go in after him. He gets points for style if not for distance.

We loved it so much we stayed for the second show, featuring all new dogs. I took dozens of photos and many, many videos. Here are some more of my favourite shots. (Let's face it, they're all my favourite.) If there's a show near you, you have to go and check it out.

This guy has form. "Forget the toy - I'll get it later."

Even the big dogs got some pretty good distance.

Give him a cape. Super-dog!

A more delicate landing.

Invisible motorbike.

This one makes me laugh. Same form every time. They measure from where the base of the tail hits the water, so if you can tuck your butt, why not?

This little guy looked so serious. Focus. I got this.

This looks like he's jumping from her arm  but he's just getting great height, aiming straight for the toy. That's Heather McLeod in the shot - the lead trainer and owner of RuffSport. Does she have the best job or what?

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And of course the other animals at the fair were adorable too. I'm pretty sure that I need a llama and a sheep. And maybe a turtle. Oh, and a cow......