Dogathon 2007

'Dogathon theme: A royal dog is a loyal dog'
'Royal dogs wannabe'

'Shadow all dressed up n ready for show'

This is my 4th time at d Dogathon n wld b considered a veteran in terms of experience as already knew d 2km course like d back of my paw. Ms Owner overdid her preparations for d race n sprained her ankle, Mr Owner didnt do any preparations n hence dun hv d stamina to keep up with me, so I thot I may just get d opportunity to run dis race alone … yeah! No more lugging my owners around n the course record is at stake.

But d rules state dat K9s hv 2 b onleash n under supervision, so there goes my marathon dreams. Hv to sit dis 1 out, I guess. Dat’s not so bad, more time to loiter around n watch d girls go by. However, my owners already hd a full agenda planned for d day n as Pacco hs so aptly put it, to fill my current role as ‘professional demo dog’. Sounds grand except dat I dun get paid, hence d tag of ‘amateur demo dog’ is perhaps more suited.
'PetnYou demo dogs squating n waiting in line'

'MKA OB demo dogs'
1st demo - Musical freestyle n retrieving
Hd to wake up very early for dis n d organisers hd labeled d opening act as an ‘exciting n breathtaking move’ not to be missed … talk bout unnecessary pressure. Danced to d upbeat song ‘Lollipop’ by Mika, a bouncy n catchy tune handpicked by d UPM students. Naturally, I got into it n started bopping n hopping around like an Energizer bunny, but way too much for my owner’s liking.

Music was blasting from d speakers n cld hardly hear my owner’s commands, so he can’t blame me for not listening. I took my cues mainly from his body movements n hand signals, which isn’t much to look at, heh heh. Mr Owner says I got to calm down n concentrate on my heelwork steps. Still, managed to pull things together in d 2nd half of d routine n nailed d jump tricks … phew.
Bank d GR was up next to deliver a scroll to the Faculty Dean to offically launch d Dogathon event, so dis was crucial. Miscued d stage in his 1st attempt but was perfect in his 2nd try n even exchange firm handshakes with d Dean b4 handing over d scroll, nice.


Was with d PetnYou Dog Squad n Mr Owner n his buddies also gv free introductory lessons in agility at d doggie playzone. Was quite amusing watching d newbies having a go at d obstacles.

2nd demo - Frisbee dogs
D Dog Squad frisbee team warmed things up with a short n sweet display of catching skills. Was a better demo this time with Cami managing some cool hang time, Junior showing great enthusiasm for d disc n even I retrieved d disc a number of times for Mr Owner to showcase some K9 air acrobatics.

3rd demo - Intermediate Agility
V ran an intermediate level course of 20 obstacles n d crowd enjoyed it, particularly ven v conquered d towering Aframe n slip n slide thru d weaving poles. Think d crowd were a little concerned as to whether d smaller dogs cld manage d steep Aframe but Junior d Silky n Cami d Cairn Terrier showed d way, swiftly scampering up n over with ease. Audience also liked the smooth downs on d pause table, sweet!

Russell performed his clown escape act from d agility ring again, to sniff out other dogs. Junior, Sissy, Bank n Angel all produced consistently good runs. My run was very fast but wasn’t clean.

4th demo - Tricks
Crowd applauded Angel’s trademark helicopter jumps n Junior’s repertoire of tricks which included leg weaves, rollovers, spins n Gongxi gestures. Happy d Lab made her debut performance as d ‘The Treat Catcher, comes naturally for her n she didn’t miss any treats thrown from a distance.

I also hd a new trick on show, ‘Goalkeeper’, whereby I attempted to head a mini football pass my owner’s hands. Then v switched places, n I bcame d goalkeeper whilst he tried to slot d ball pass me. Ended up a 0-0 draw, as he saved my headers n I saved his penalty kicks. Watch out for d next match up.
5th demo - Super Weave Pole
V hd to weave thru a neverending row of 24 poles n Junior, Cami, Angel and I made it, only just. Angel was d most consistent with her nifty side hops n finished d 24 poles in no time at all. Hope our owners don’t go overboard n add anymore poles to this act, don’t really fancy sliding around like a snake on heat in front of d public.

6th demo - The High Jumper
Sissy n I were d high jumpers. This time, Sissy was full of energy n managed a number of easy clearances at 28”, 30’ and 32”. I also followed suit n needed a couple of attempts to clear these heights. Was glad dat Pacco cld also join us midway to complete 1 big jump without any run-up. Mayb dats how she prefers her jumps, right in front of her n no time wasting.

Once again, d Dog Squad put up an entertaining variety of acts to showcase dog sports n activities n am proud to be part of this talented team.

'Hey, u part of d demo team?'

Due to demo commitments, I only took part in d Master Hunt game n just missed out on a placing. However, I still went home with a prize courtesy of a lucky draw, a large n comfy orange bed. Funny enough, I didn’t hv to do anything for it but it ranks as 1 of my fav prizes. Guess it’s true dat d best things in life r free n ven u dun hv to work for it. Time for me to mess up my new bed!

'Yes, I do enjoy watcing d babes go by but I didn't mean it literally.'

Oh yes, congrats to Pacco, Amber Mae, Amber n Money for winning a whole lot of prizes on d day, especially Pacco who swept 3 top prizes n Money who also took home 3 prizes notwithstanding that this was her 1st Dogathon. Seems to b all d ladies who r making d moves nowadays, where r d guys man?

C ya at d next event … Dog Carnival on 9 September at BU park.

'Ok, right there ... scratch right there'