Event: “Dog Day at Shea” and the “Met your Pet” contest
Posted by Lizz on 05/28/2006
Categories: NYC Event, Spot's Sports
This Tuesday, May 30th at 7:10 pm, you can take your dog out to the ballgame.
Since last year went well, and the dogs held out for that 7th inning stretch, they are welcome back for a second year.
You can try out for Stupid Pet Tricks on Letterman at the game, or just buy some food and keep the old boy entertained since he’d rather watch you eat than watch the game.
Dog tickets are $5 (proceeds go to North Shore Animal League) and Human tickets are $26.
If your pet cannot sit still long enough for an inning, let alone the whole game, then keep her home and dress her up in Met gear for the Met Your Pet photo competition. You could win free Mets tickets and your dog could become famous. Unless she is a Yankee’s fan, then she’d just be embarassed.
Spot’s Sports: Agility
Posted by Lizz on 05/08/2006
Categories: Spot's Sports
A timed obstacle course, your dog, and your ability to control the dog. Can you do it?
(WARNING: WE DIDN’T PICK THE SOUNDTRACK)
Where to go to learn Agility skills: SemperFido in Brooklyn offers Agility FUNdamentals beginning June 4th (1 month course).
The Staten Island Companion Dog Training Club offers obedience and agility training. The SICDT is hosting AKC agility competitions June 24th-25th.
NYC sites for Agility:
If you want to buy or make your own equipment:
Try Here, Here, or Here,
NYCityPets has a dream of one day being able to run agility in Central Park or in rooftop competitions across the city. If you have a fenced-in rooftop, consider the possibilities.
(Thanks to Kimberoonie for the video)
An Alluring Sport
Posted by Lizz on 04/13/2006
Categories: Spot's Sports
Lure Coursing. Put simply, this sport is the game of sighthounds where the dogs chase a lure–a plastic bag, in fact–that runs along a motor-powered line that a person operates like a remote-controlled car. Below is a video of a lure courser on her first run (BTW, that dog is not a sighthound, but she thinks she is one. Also, she was not supposed to run away after her race ended!) The course is staked out at a minimum of 600 yards. Some of the dogs wear basket muzzles during their races. While it is not restrictive for breathing, muzzles do keep the dogs from hurting one another and from mauling the lures.
Officially, lure coursing began in California in the 1960s. To read more history, visit the American Sighthound Field Association. The AKC regulates competitive lure coursing and your hound must be a sighthound to compete. There are 120 lure coursing clubs in the US. In NYC, you can find more information from the Big Apple Sight Hound Association. BASHA hosted a fun run on April 1st in Long Island and even non-sighthounds joined in the fun.
Go here to see the fun (Photo via Flickr by Wagongrrl)