August, a 3-year-old German Shepherd, eagerly and intently watched the bumper, a dog-training toy, held by his owner Marianne Johnson as the two ascended a set of stairs to a dock overlooking a pool.
It’s a ritual the two have performed many times before. But August’s eyes brimmed with anticipation and restraint as Johnson held the toy at the edge of the dock. Finally, she gave a command and threw the toy. August barreled down the deck and leaped into the pool after the toy.
The crowd that had gathered for Dock Dogs, a canine aquatics competition at the Clark County Fair, responded with applause.
Sarah Graham, the administrator of the event, said that Dock Dogs holds competitions all over the country, bringing a 40-foot dock and a 40-foot pool for dogs to leap into in pursuit of a toy. Dogs (or at least their owners) compete to see which canine can jump the farthest into the pool. Spectators soak up the joy of watching dogs be dogs, and the event has become a mainstay at the Clark County Fair.
If You Go
•What: Clark County Fair.
•Hours Sunday: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
•Where:17402 N.E. Delfel Road, Ridgefield.
•Admission: Adults, $11.25; seniors 62 and older, $9.25; kids 7-12, $8.25; kids 6 and younger, free.
•Parking and transportation: Parking, $6 per vehicle (cash only); C-Tran shuttle, free from six main transfer stations; $1 discount on full gate admission with bus transfer ticket. Schedules at www.c-tran.com/fair
• Carnival:Opens at noon.
•ERS Free Grandstand:Monster Trucks, 2 and 7 p.m.
•Pets:Not permitted, except for service animals or those on exhibit or in competition.
•More information:www.clarkcofair.com or 360-397-6180
Johnson, of Tacoma, described August as a “German German Shepherd” with a strong sense of determination and love of water.
“We needed more work for him to do,” she said.
She said she saw similar events on television and started showing up to events about three years ago. On Saturday, he jumped 16 feet and 3 inches on his first jump. His record is 17 feet she said.
Diane Salts of Olympia placed a blanket on Cochiti, her shivering whippet after completing a jump. Speaking over the yaps and whining of eager canines, Salts described Cochiti, 12, as a “special” dog. And the Dock Dogs event at the county fair is particularly significant for Salts because it was where Cochiti set a world record in 2012 with a 31-foot jump.
But for dogs, like Cochiti, the event held a different significance.
“He loves to do it,” said Salts. “He loves to swim.”
