VIDEO: Flying dogs

EAST COUNTY — Priscilla doesn’t look like an athlete.

But after her owner, Barbara Lentz, boosted her forward and shouted “Go!”, the 5-year-old English bulldog ran as fast as she could off the dock into a 4-foot-deep pool. Her oversized tongue flapping, she paddled forward and retrieved her toy.

Priscilla is one of more than 70 dogs who are learning to fly at Florida West Coast Air Dogs (FWCAD).
Other flying dogs, such as Zeke and Lucy, whimpered as they waited for the signal from their owners to dive into the water. They sprinted and soared through the air with a dogged attention toward their squeaky toys, seeming to believe they could fly.

Lentz and her husband, John Gattignolo, opened the East County business in 2013 off of State Road 70 to teach dogs the sport of dock diving. The facility is located adjacent to Dog Stars — a dog training and grooming facility where Lentz also works.

The couple opened the facility to give dogs a place to learn an “increasingly popular” sport that isn’t as taxing on the dog and owner as other competition sports, they said.

Each weekend, Lentz and Gattignolo haul their nine dogs, along with their crates and water bowls, to the facility, from their home just minutes away. Although only six of the dogs dock dive, the couple’s whole troupe of canines comes out to support the rest of the family.

“Pets aren’t just something we have on the end of a leash,” Lentz said. “They mean more to us.”

A lifelong dog-lover who trained dogs for 40 years, Lentz got her first dog when she was 5. The only time she didn’t have a dog was when she attended the University of Florida.

Now, she and Gattignolo teach a sport that has benefits for dogs and their owners. Dock diving teaches dogs discipline, increases their stamina and strengthens their swimming and running abilities. Owners benefit from spending an afternoon outdoors while they watch their dogs learn tricks and have fun.

The concept dates back to 1997, when it appeared as part of the Incredible Dog Challenge produced by Purina.  

Since then, various organizations now run dock diving events, such as Ultimate Air Dogs (UAD) founded by former Major League Baseball player Milt Wilcox. In 2008, UAD partnered with United Kennel Club (UKC) to add dock jumping as a recognized UKC sport.

The sport has been gaining popularity over the last few years because it’s user friendly, Lentz said.

“A range of people can do it,” Lentz said. “Dogs can pick up on it usually; it’s the owners who need the work.”

FWCAD has two events planned for February (see sidebar). When those events are over, the couple and their nine dogs plan to squeeze into an RV and plunge into competitions across the country in states such as Indiana, Michigan and Tennessee.

“The dogs love it,” Gattignolo said. “We do this for the joy the dogs and their owners get when they dive.”

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].

Old dog, new tricks
Whoever said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks never met Ranger.

Jumping off a dock into a 4-foot pool of water came naturally to the 11-year-old whippet, who started his dock diving career when he was 8. Today, he holds a Grand Master Championship title and has a personal best jump of 22.8 feet.

“After I showed him what to do, it was like he had been diving his whole life,” Florida West Coast Air Dogs co-owner Barbara Lentz said. “When you get him on that dock, a switch goes on.”

Training older dogs to participate in the sport isn’t impossible, but it takes commitment on the owners’ and dogs’ behalf, according to Lentz.

“You can’t take a dog that has sat on the couch until it was 7 or 8 years old and throw them in a pool,” Lentz said. “It takes being in good physical shape to do (dock diving). If Ranger wasn’t kept in good shape, he’d never be able to do this at his age.”

Save the dates
Florida West Coast Air Dogs (FWCAD), 5006 34th Ave. E., Bradenton, is hosting two events in February for its furry friends.

‘IT’ Games
When: 9 a.m. Feb. 7.
What: Dogs will participate in three games — Fetch-it, Catch-it and Chase-it. The event isn’t open to the public for participation, but spectators are welcome to attend the daylong event for free.

Furry Fro-lick
When: 9 a.m. Feb. 28 and March 1
What: All dogs are invited to participate in the Furry Fro-lick. The event includes the Fetch-It, Catch-It and Chase-It games. Cost is $25 for pre-registration online and $30 the day of the event.