TANILBA Bay dog owner Cassie Danckert vividly remembers the time her then 10-month-old border collie-cross cattle dog Poppy was afraid of the water.
Four years on and Poppy has matured into a national medal-winner in the sport of DockDogs canine aquatics.
The impressive Border Heeler showed her newly developed jumping skills when she collected a bronze medal at the recent DockDogs Australian National titles during the Queanbeyan Show.
For Cassie, 29, it was a huge thrill as Poppy advanced to the Amateur Big Air Wave finals after three days of tight competition against dogs from almost every state.
In a proud moment, the four-year-old Border Heeler secured bronze with a new personal best dive of 3.6m.
Poppy was also judged on her second discipline of Speed Retrieve.
Cassie told News Of The Area that she is, “very passionate about dogs and their enrichment and breed fulfilment.”
She was one of two Port Stephens dog owners at the DockDogs National Titles, the other being Seaham resident Kirsty Polwarth with her labradoodle, Jagger.
Big Air is the “long jump” for dogs.
Established in Australia in 2010, the adrenaline-fueling event involves dogs jumping, flying and sometimes flopping into a custom built 100,000 litre pool off a 12m dock that sits just above the water.
The distance the dog jumps is judged from the end of the dock to where the dog’s tail set breaks the surface.
Viper, a malinois cross whippet from the United States, holds the world record for Big Air with a jump of more than 10 metres.
For Speed Retrieve, a bumper toy is suspended above the water at the far end of the pool with a starting indicator above it.
The dog is then positioned at the start line on the dock.
When the light turns green, the dog is released.
The time clock stops ticking when the dog has pulled the toy from the Speed Retrieve bracket.
Cassie is influenced by beloved dog trainer and animal behaviourist Farmer Dave Graham.
She enters Poppy in regular club competitions for Sydney City DockDogs at the Cooee Ranch dog park in Glossodia.
By Chris KARAS
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