Dogs, Frisbees and the Pine City
It’s off to
This is the third year that I will be at the Alpo Frisbee Challenge, and I am looking forward to seeing what these high-flying doggies will be able to do.
I wish Nik, my Mini Schnauzer, was a high-leaping, energetic Frisbee catcher. Dream on. Nik loves the slow life. He would rather spend his day sleeping and dreaming of his next meal.
Today promises to be another exciting one for the 10 finalists of the Frisbee Challenge. The show starts at
Rich Ilustre, Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) volunteer and show director says that the afternoon will be filled with activities for the dogs and the dog lovers, too.
The doggies that come dressed can join the “Doggie Fashion Face-Off” at
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I caught the first elimination round of the Frisbee Challenge at the SM Mall of Asia last April 27. Having covered the event in Boracay the last two years, this one was a bit different. One of the major changes is that Alpo is working with PAWS for the event. It is just great that there were three elimination rounds held in different parts of
At the end of the first elimination, it’s Eric Kim and Julie, a
And then there’s more.
A particularly spectacular feat comes from Nice Rodriguez, a pet owner with no background in professional dog training. She and her Aspin (asong Pinoy) Poypoy win third place in the
Poypoy is a rescued dog that has bloomed under Rodriguez’s patient coaxing affection. She used backyard training methods (giving and withholding treats) a week before the
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Over at SM Clark I was told that it was a very close fight. PAWS director Anna Cabrera told me that there was a “hushed silence” as the crowd held its breath waiting for who will finally win the challenge.
“The audience’s attention was glued to a man who throws a plastic disc into the air while his partner, a German Shepherd, leaps and grabs the disc in his mouth,” shares Anna. “The crowd breaks into wild applause.”
The team Anna is talking about is that of Archie David and his German Shepherd Agos.
In their first try, the duo had two minutes to throw and catch as many Frisbees as they can. They were tied with the team of Guiller Boydon and Solo, a Belgian Malinois, at 12 points each. This was the tie-breaking match.
The time limit had been reduced to one minute. If Agos could catch it at a farther distance, he would earn higher points. The last 30 seconds were announced and David went into a throwing frenzy to try to get the last few points in.
Both dogs’ and men’s bodies were tense. The concentration on Agos’ face made it seem as though he completely understood how important this game was to his human.
For David, the pressure had set in and the flight pattern of the Frisbee became more erratic with each last-second throw. He groaned as the buzzer signaled the end of what to him was probably the shortest minute of his life.
This is not an Olympic sport. But the crowd’s response to it was the same as they waited with bated breath for the final score. The official score was 12. Archie and Agos won by a point.
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The third leg at Canyon Woods, Tagaytay, news about the prizes, trophies and medals has already piqued the interest of many dog trainers.
The finalists at Tagaytay all had higher scores than any team from the first two rounds. The first place winner was a German Shepherd-Golden Retriever mix named Kayu and owner Aletta Yniguez. They got a whopping 47 points.
While a popular strategy was to place the dog at the farthest distance before throwing the Frisbee, the Aletta-Kayu team opted to go about it in an easygoing manner with Aleta throwing at a leisurely pace and Kayu dropping the Frisbees he caught whenever his lady master called his name to get ready for the next catch. The routine between the two proceeded like clockwork and before everyone realized it, the dog had caught all the Frisbees thrown at him.
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Every Frisbee catching doggie and human has an interesting story to share. Today, there will be only one winner.
Catch you later.
