Olympics

Howdy blogaroos! On a fantastic Friday! No major storms in the forecast today – so I’ll get to go to class!! Hurray!

So I hear the Olympics are going on right now. Personally, I’m not all that interested. No sports with dogs. So what’s the point? I see that Viktor talked about this very thing 4 years ago- so I’m going to cheat today and give you a rerun of what he said – with some edits by me.

I decided to see if dogs have EVER been a part of the Olympic Games in the past, and found that some interesting facts. In 1932, dog sledding was a demonstration sport in Lake Placid, New York. But that’s as far as it went. It never became an official sport. In 1928, skijoring, appeared as a demonstration sport as well. Skijoring is a sport in which humans are on skis and are pulled by a dog – or in the case of the Games in 1928, by a horse. It also never became official. Lots of people do it with their dogs today. For the Warden, it would spell certain death. Just walking us on icy sidewalks is adventurous enough.

In 2016, Rio hosted the summer Olympic Games, and they hosted a Dog Olympic Games. Events included things like agility, hurdles, racing and dock diving. Those kind of sports for dogs make logical sense. But I think there are PLENTY of other sports in which we dogs could compete. Here are a few:

• Treat jar races. Dogs are required to stay in different locations in a house, and when they hear the treat jar open, must race to it. The first dog there wins.
• Tug of war. Can be performed with two dogs (matched for weight) or a dog and human. To keep it fair, given that lots of dogs are outweighed by humans, the humans should be wearing roller skates.
• Treat catching. Could be done from longer and longer distances. Nobody in this house could compete in this one. We try – and I’m closest- but let’s just say most treats end up being snarfed from the floor.
• Food dish bowl hockey. Pushing an empty metal bowl across a kitchen floor and into a laundry hamper and being sure to make as much noise as possible. The Boss could do this. The event would be timed. And it should take place while a human is on the phone.
• Treat hunt.. Treats are hidden around a house. Dogs are timed in their ability to find all the treats. Gold medal for me – for sure! This would go along with Snuffle mat clearing. First dog to clear the mat wins.
• Dog kiss marathon. See which dog can give the most dog kisses. Event is obviously timed. But one may want to check what the dog was licking BEFORE the event takes place. Fair warning.
• Digging. A timed event to see who can dig the deepest hole in the ground or in a pile of snow. The Coyote and I would be excellent competitors in this.
• Ricocheting. Prizes for the highest and the most ricochets in a minute. I’m feeling golden for this one.
• Dog bed dragging. The objective is to see how fast and far you can drag your dog bed before a human catches you. My photo above is me after a successful run.

I did a little searching and found some videos of dogs performing sports that should be in the Olympics.

https://dogtime.com/trending/39033-olympic-sports-dogs/amp

I liked all of them – but let’s just say my new “want” is a trampoline. I not only want one – I NEED one. Think how much energy I could burn!!!

Well, time to get the Friday party started. And to look on Amazon for a trampoline…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.