Cats must have nightmares about flyball competitions.
The canine sport took over the Hillcrest Curling Club this weekend, packing the ice-free facility with 150 pooches of all different sizes, colours, breeds and ages. One thing they all shared in common - a propensity to bark ad nauseum, filling the concrete room with never-ending reverberations that would leave any cat shivering in the corner.
Flyball has teams of dogs race each other over three jumps, followed by a step on a spring-loaded box to release a tennis ball, and a return to the start where the next teammate is ready to go.
"My old guy, he's 10, and as soon as he sees (the track) he starts barking and pulling on his leash," said organizer and Moose Jaw club founder Ken MacTavish. "They like it a lot."
When MacTavish and his wife moved from the East Coast to Alberta, they were introduced to the sport. Upon their arrival in Moose Jaw three years ago, they decided to found the city's first flyball club.
"We started off with just a few dogs and pretty well every year we'd get more who wanted to do lessons," he said. "Some join the team and some don't, but there's a lot of interest."
A sizeable crowd was gathered for the event, most of them members of the various clubs attending, but some folks just came to check out the sport.
That's the best way for the club to grow, said MacTavish. "If people come see it, they'll often call us."
The dogs are divided into various categories for speed and age, which allows some serious size difference in head-to-head competitors. But they all run at top speed towards the box, managing to grab the tennis ball and completely reverse direction without injuring themselves.
"There's always the possibility (of injury)," said MacTavish. "My old guy had a leg injury . . . but he took a couple months off and he was back at it, just like a normal athlete."
Any four-legged friends interested in taking up the sport should have their owners contact the club.
"Any breed, any size, any age, within reason, I guess, but we've had dogs who've started flyball at eight years old," said MacTavish
"As long as they're in reasonably good shape and they get along reasonably well with other dogs."
