Those who know me well know that one of my favorite annual dog events is the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge. I first caught on to this competition a few years ago while lazily flipping channels on a Saturday afternoon.
Imagine my joy when, after passing infomercial after informercial, I suddenly landed on a channel that showed Jack Russell Terriers barreling down a course with a look of sheer determination plastered on their crazy little faces. You can see their doggie free will kick in when one of them decides to take a different route to the finish line, maybe 10 feet to the left of the pack. Some of them get so worked up that they end up doing somersaults over each other mid-course, legs flying faster than the rest of the body can handle. How they all make it through that tiny little hole at the end of the run without killing themselves or one another just baffles me, but you can see how much they love the thrill of the hunt.
The agility competition showcases some incredible dog/trainer relationships where dogs learn to navigate an agility course through tunnels, over teeter-totters and bars, and my personal favorite, through the parallel poles. If you have a chance to see this event, pay special attention to the form variations between large dogs and small dogs when they get to the parallel poles. I’ve noticed that the smaller dogs tend to keep their front paws glued together as they jump side to side around the poles. The larger dogs tend to use their front paws independently, reaching around each pole with the inside paw, plowing through to the finish line. Something about that little style variation cracks me up. And I’m always heart broken when one of the dogs gets a little too excited and decides to skip a few of the poles. In order to qualify for the run, they’re required to go back to the beginning of the poles and start over. God bless em, they just keep trying!
One of my favorite things about the competition is the fact that they treat each dog like a true athlete. Each dog gets introduced with a hilarious little bio that features a headshot, their stats, nickname and the owner’s name. Wait til you see a couple of these, I think you’re gonna love them as much as I do.
Fortunately you’ll have your chance to see the 2008 Purina Incredible Dog Challenge National Finals for yourself. According to the Purina website, the competition will air this Saturday, January 24th, 2009 on ABC from 2 – 3pm Eastern Time. I’d advise checking your local listings just to be safe cause you’re not gonna want to miss this! Set your DVRs now, and do like I do…keep them in the queue for a rainy day when you need a smile. I promise, it works every time.
