Dogs sizzle in Bora

Hot, hot and super hot.

Bora was sizzling that Sunday when we made our way there to catch the first ever Alpo Frisbee Challenge.

As we searched for the best spot on the beach, we watched the doggies, their tongues hanging out – they too were feeling the heat. With temperatures soaring to 38 degrees that afternoon, it was no wonder the dogs opted to sit on the sand under the cool shade of the trees.

"Dogs don’t perspire," said Philippine Canine Club Inc. (PCCI) president Dinky Santos. "They don’t have sweat glands like people, that is why they salivate a lot."

As I sat and waited for the competition I could not help but feel for the canines. I was really sweating – it was sooooo hot. The dogs were salivating but just like how loyal dogs are, they sat obediently by their humans’ side with nary a complaint. And just like people, the bigger the dogs, the hotter they feel, thus, the greater the risk for them to suffer from heatstroke.

The competition was to start at 4 p.m. but humans and their loyal canine companions were out on the beach as early as 3 p.m.

The humans without pets had gathered around too as they waited in anticipation for the hottest event that afternoon.

Finally, the show began.

"It’s great to be here," said host Amanda Griffin.

"Boracay is great for us. Pero type din ng mga dogs," added Maverick and Ariel added in unison.

Alpo made sure the Frisbee contest would be a hit. Top prize for the competion would go home with P15,000; second prize was P10,000; and third prize, P5,000. Not bad for both human and canine.

The rules were simple. The dog that catches the Frisbee the most number of times in 300 seconds wins. Each dog and his human were given a minute to warm up and then it was game time.

But as the dogs waited for their turn some of them grew too tired to compete. A few dogs refused to run after the Frisbees even after much coaxing from both the crowd and their humans. Who could blame them for preferring to dig into the cool sand or take a dip in the refreshing water rather than chase a Frisbee.

At the end of the day there were three winners. Eric Kim and Jully, his Yellow Lab, came in first with 14 catches out of 18 throws; Gerry and his Black Lab Sangor were second with 12 catches out of 17 throws, and third was Babes Monroe and Samby, a Yellow Lab with 14 out of 20.

With that over and done with, the dogs happily scampered back into the cooler parts of Bora. Even we humans headed for our rooms which were pleasantly cool and where beds were inviting.

Ahhh, the Bora life.