Flyball was invented in the early 70’s and was first showcased on The Johnny Carson show. Unlike agility or dock diving, where individual dogs compete (perhaps even on a team), flyball is completely a team sport. Dogs race over hurdles spaced 10 feet apart to capture a tennis ball which appears from a box. They then return to the starting point, and another picks up the race like a relay. The hurdles are placed according the dog’s height, like in basketball dogs are assigned roles check out this video to see flyball in action.
How can you get involved locally? It just so happens that Sarasota has a group of Flyball enthusiasts and team, The Barkaholics. The team will be competing here on April 16 and 17th at the Manatee Civic Center.
More than 30 teams from around Florida will all be on site racing. Teams are comprised of 4 dogs who do a relay of 4 jumps, retrieve a ball, then return over the jumps. The fastest team to run without errors wins each heat. In Florida some of the fastest teams running all 4 dogs in 16 seconds, which is REALLY fast!
There are purebreds, mutts, rescued dogs, big dogs, little dogs… you will see everything! Several pet community businesses will be participating in the event including AnimalChit-Chat, WoofGang Bakery and Sarasota Obedience Training Center.
This Flyball competition doesn’t charge admission but requests that unopened food or treats be donated to benefit the Humane Societies of Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch.
Team Barkaholics, has 14 dog members. More than half are rescue dogs! This is a great event to bring the human children to, but, best to leave four-legged’s at home.
This is an active sport, so make sure your dog is in good health, you can also check with your veterinarian to see if your dog would be a good candidate for this type of activity.