K9 Course
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No comments [ Add Comment ]By LANA GROVES
Standard-Examiner staff
OGDEN -- A 3-year-old black Labrador works in a search and rescue team for the Utah Task Force by day and wins canine competitions by night.
Kirby, and his owner Craig Orum, came from Eden to compete in the Breeder's Choice Xterra K9 competition Friday, and they beat the finalists by less than a second.
"This is his first time doing this course," said Orum, 39. "But he has a lot of agility and can walk on anything. I say hop, and he knows to go over the teeter totter."
More than 30 dogs and their owners lined up in the afternoon to jump over a few logs, cross a balance beam, crawl through a tunnel and run over a seesaw before crossing the finish line.
The judges and announcer kept contestants from all ages in line and laughing as owners led their dogs forward.
"People love their pets," said Dave Nicholas, general manager. "They want to have some fun with them, and this is a great opportunity."
Owners came from as far away as Colorado, Washington, Montana and various parts of Utah to compete in the Xterra triathlon competition on Monday and give their dogs a chance to compete.
A number of owners registered two or three dogs in the competition.
Meg Fisher, who registered her dogs Betsy and Buster in the canine competition, is also competing in an Xterra race. Fisher, who has just one leg, is signed up for the triathlon Monday but said she couldn't compete without giving her dogs a chance to prove themselves.
"They're the ones that keep me fit," said Fisher, 25. "(Betsy's) ears are perked and eyes ready with intense determination for the competition."
Fisher said the dogs go with her every time she runs or goes mountain biking.
"They'll run with me wherever I go," she said. "I've got one leg, and they stay with me when I go mountain bike riding, too."
The dogs ranged from small and lean, ready for the challenge, to dogs that were bigger than their owners.
Ten-year-old Sean Letendre carted his black Labrador, Chubbs, to the competition and felt confident the dog would win.
Letendre had a difficult time holding onto the dog as they raced through the competition because Chubbs weighed more than 70 pounds and surpassed his owner in size.
Contestants received six packets of 10 ounce Avida dog food bags after their race. The entry fee for the race was $10 per dog. Owners were given a T-shirt and bandana for the dog to wear.
Nicholas said the majority of the proceeds are going to a local humane shelter.
Xterra also offered kid's bike and obstacle course races, health tables, rock climbing and music. The main triathlon race will have contestants swimming through Pineview Reservoir, and running and mountain bike riding up toward Snowbasin.
Qualifiers from the triathlon will compete in the Mountain Region triathlon at a later date.
Judges of the canine competition knocked it down to four finalists who raced for the finish line at different times. The race was close, with Kirby finishing in first at 12.8 seconds.
Kirby trotted away with one year's supply of Avoderin dog food as his prize.
Orum said he wasn't surprised that Kirby won.
"(Kirby) didn't even need the leash," he said. "(He) would've been even faster if I wasn't holding on to him."
