Doggone Fun at the National Cherry Festival

This week's National Cherry Festival was not just a fun time for those of us who walk on two legs...there were also a lot of animals getting in on the festivities. The week-long party included turtle races, a pet show, the Ultimate Air Dog jumping event and a lot of dogs downtown eating Gibby's fries, people watching and just hanging out. Some of them even got in on the parades.

Pet Friends Magazine was lucky enough to attend The Ultimate Air Dogs final competitions on Saturday and it was amazing to watch the dogs in action. Every dog had their own story and pre-jumping routines, including spinning around on the dock in anticipation.

In the Ultimate Vertical contest, height is what's important instead of distance. A toy hangs about eight feet out over the pool at different heights. The dog's job is to grab or release the toy at the heighest point possible and they get two shots at it. Some of the dogs decided to have a few choice words with the toy before jumping and others wanted to "get" the toy so badly that even after missing it twice, they ran back to the platform, hoping to give it another try.

Some of the funniest moments came after an owner would throw a toy in the water and the dog ran down the dock to get it, only to stop at the very end and look around as if to say, "Hey, there's water in there! You don't want ME to jump in there, do you?" However, most of the dogs got past their initial reluctance and were able to take the big plunge.

For results on the Ultimate Air Dog competitions, please visit the ultimateairdogs.net soon for updated information.