Jetty Dogs vs. Boatyard Dog Trials - the jury is out

So there's this new 'sport' called 'Jetty Dogs', and it's a sort of long jump for dogs.   They run off a long jetty and into the water, chasing their favourite toy.  The dog that jumps furthest is the winner.

Sounds daft to me.  There's not much to it, is there?

Well, the East Midlands Jetty Dogs Association thinks differently, and wants to expand the sport.

The annual IWA Festival usually has a doggie competition, but mostly it's just doggie beauty or doggie behaviour, a competition, without a waterways element. 

My suggestion is a Boatyard Dog competition, like the one that takes place every year in Maine (see Boatyard Dog Trials).   This is a far more complex than just a long jump, involving:

Dogs and handlers will run a timed obstacle course that might include negotiating a tippy dock, jumping over lobster crates, getting in and out of a small boat, fetching bizarre objects from the water, or whatever else we dream up.

A short "freestyle"act is also required. There'll be a parade, so costumes (for dog, owner, or both) are strongly encouraged.  And as a previous competitor has noted, "You or your dog will get wet!"

In fact if neither dog nor owner get wet in the Boatyard Dog Trials, then they are found guilty.

Granny is still No.1 in Google for 'boatyard dog', three years and more after I first wrote about the Maine Boatyard Dog Trials. There's a good description of the Trials here.