Dock Dogs brings visitors to Lincoln and Route 66

[August 29, 2023]   Dock Dogs was an event held on the square in Lincoln on Saturday, August 26th. The event kicked off at about 11:30, with two groups of dogs and owners. Each group had approximately 8 dogs of varying sizes and breeds.

Some of these breeds included a husky, a bulldog, a border collie, and several labradors, as well as others. The owners had sixty seconds from the time their dogs reached the platform to get them into the water. Each dog’s jump was measured at the point that the dog’s tail met its spine. Where this part of the dog hit the water was the point the judges used to measure the distance of its jump.

Each dog and owner pair had two attempts to jump as far into the pool as they could. Some dogs jumped far while others made a good attempt, but every dog that jumped seemed to have had a great time retrieving their toys. One dog, a golden retriever by the name of Reese, didn’t want to get out of the pool. Each of the two times she jumped, she swam around the pool, moving away from anyone who tried to help her toward the ramp out. While Reese didn’t win overall, the audience sure had a blast watching her evade capture.

Of the two groups and many dogs that jumped, Lilith, a Dutch shepherd, jumped the furthest. Lilith made a jump of 20’ 2”. Lilith’s owner, Benny, shared that he came to compete all the way from Vine Grove, Kentucky. He loves Route 66 but has never been able to explore the part of it that runs through Illinois. Upon hearing about the Dock Dogs event in Lincoln, he took advantage of the opportunity to compete and enjoy Route 66 as well.

[Matt Boutcher]