It’s good exercise and dog-gone fun
By Rapids City Times staff
NEKOOSA – “I first started in disc with my own dogs as a way to keep them exercised and conditioned for flyball – that’s our first love as far as dog sports go,” Amy Sjomeling explained. “But, I went to another disc event – Updog Challenge – and was hooked!”
Now Amy is captain of Cranberry Country Disc Dogs, a local disc dog club that meets weekly in the Nekoosa Industrial Park.
“We play in the K9 Toss and Fetch League,” Amy said. “The league was created by a disc dog enthusiast from Ohio who runs the league mostly through the Facebook page.
“The league has five seasons throughout the year. Each season is five weeks long… Each dog and handler is considered a team. One dog can play with multiple people, so each person/dog is considered a separate team. We need at least eight teams to be considered a club.”
The club meets once a week, and league play typically takes a couple of hours.
“We meet on Tuesday evenings, but clubs choose their own day during the week in their own location,” Amy added.
There are over 200 clubs in the league, but each team doesn’t participate in every season.
“(When) we play, we are essentially playing against clubs all over the world, as each club turns in their scores and then is ranked each week in the league,” Amy said.
“You don’t have to be a great disc thrower to play; new teams and kids are given handicap points, so you get points just for coming and playing.”
Anyone interested in joining the club can contact Amy at 715-323-2258 or [email protected]. Those interested in learning more about the league can visit tossandfetch.com.
“Playing in league provides people and their dog a fun bonding experience where they get to work together as a team and play as part of a club, where everyone roots for and helps each other,” Amy stated. “It’s great exercise for the dogs, some for the people as well, and connects dog lovers in an easy-to-learn sport, in a friendly yet competitive environment that is great fun for the people and the dogs.”