For the sixth consecutive year, the Boothbay Region YMCA hosted the 2012 Flyball MAINEia K9 Relay Racing competition, Nov. 3-4. The event is Maine’s only flyball tournament. Maine has hosted the tournament for seven years, the first year was held in Bangor.
The race was organized by the Flyball MAINEiacs club from the Buxton area, one of only two Maine teams.
The MAINEiacs have 18 members and 28 dogs. Club member Rebeccah Aube said they always welcome new members. “Any dog can play. We are an equal opportunity club,” Aube said of accepting any dog, regardless of size, breed or age. They have a 13-year-old border collie and an 11-year-old Pappillon on their team.
“They love it; if they didn’t love it they wouldn’t do it,” Aube added of the dogs.
Flyball is one of the fastest growing canine sports in North America. A team is comprised of four dogs, that race in relay fashion, side by side against another team.
The dogs run one after another down a 51-foot course jumping over four obstacles. They then activate a spring-loaded trigger box that releases a tennis ball. The canines retrieve the ball and race back 51-feet over the same four hurdles to the beginning.
Each dog must return the ball over the finish line before the next team member can start.
The height of the hurdles is determined by the smallest dog on the team, so strategy comes into play. The hurdles are set at the shoulder height of the smallest dog. The hurdles are set 10-feet apart with the first one located six-feet from the starting line and the last one 15 feet from the trigger box.
The first team to cross the finish line error-free wins. Penalties are applied if a ball is dropped, and for a dog leaving early.
The head-to-head relay starts with a lighting system similar to drag racing, where the lights change colors down a strip. When the lights start to flash, the dogs start yipping and barking, and shaking with excitement.
Their handlers hold them back, many times holding their back legs off the ground, or hugging them around the shoulders until it is their turn to run.
And run they do. The amazingly fast sport can see a single dog finish the 102-feet in a top time of 3.7 seconds, and a top team in a time of 15 seconds. Each dog in the team has its own handler, and can not start until the preceding dog has crossed the finish line.
“Everyone wants a dog under four seconds and a team time under 16 seconds,” Aube said. “We have dogs that run 3.9 seconds.”
The sport is exciting to watch, as it brings so much joy to the dogs that love running it. Its only drawback is the loud barking from the almost 200 dogs in the event, easily muffled by a set of earplugs.
There were 33 teams with six dogs per team competing at the Boothbay Y over the weekend.
