Meet the Speed – Dylan

Dylan the Border Collie has been successfully competing in Flyball since January 2012. He is also moving along quickly with his agility training. However, his first love is Flyball where he gets to act like a maniac! When not in training, ‘Dilly’ loves to play fetch, interact with other dogs, and play games with the garden hose and doggie pool. He is also a great hiking buddy. Although he has tremendous drive and intensity when “working”, he is mellow in the house and quite the personality with his Chuck-it ball which he will drop at your feet or into your hand whenever you are ready to play. Other fun facts: he has turned on the stove (hoping for something yummy to appear?) and locked me out of the house – twice. I am not sure if the latter is reflective of his intelligence, or my stupidity. He also has the interesting habit of stopping to smell any kind of flowers. He slowly wags his tail while taking in the aroma. He makes me laugh every day and it is a joy to have him in my life.

 

Meet the Speed – River

River is one of those border collies that does everything full throttle. A super easy dog to train, he took to flyball immediately. As much drive as he has, he is also a wonderful pet and friend to kids. River is a very competitive dog with extremely high drive who loves to have a job. You don’t want to be in the way when he is coming down the lanes because he has a job to do (just a bulldozer!).

 

Meet the Speed- Zippy

by Brian and Joanne Matsumoto

Zippy, Zip, or Riptide Zip, is a purebred Blue Merle Border Collie from Contact Point Border Collies in Fillmore California. He is four years old, and obsessed with Flyball. He holds many Flyball Titles including Top Flight I, II, and III in U-FLI and FD, FDX, FDCH, and FDCH –Silver in NAFA. Zippy has been doing flyball for three years and enjoys every minute of action since he has so much energy and drive. He has been in the newspaper and on the News twice for Woofstock.

Zippy is a friendly dog who not only loves flyball, but loves to do agility and go swimming as well. He goes to agility and frequents the Dog Spa in Oceanside each weekend. He really enjoys swimming and chasing after those toys, pushing off the wall, and making a quick turn to do another round of chase. When not doing his activities, Zippy enjoys flying over to Catalina, where he goes on long walks and really great golf cart rides around Avalon.

Due to his quick speed, and love for flyball racing, Zippy holds up to his name.

 

WOOFSTOCK: A FESTIVAL FOR DOGS AND PEOPLE

Groovy Event Benefits Canine Companions for Independence

Join the Ballistic Racers Flyball Team when Canine Companions for Independence hosts the sixth annual WOOFSTOCK: A Festival for Dogs & People on Saturday, April 10, 2010 from 10:00AM until 3:00PM. The event will be held at the corner of Park Boulevard and Presidents Way in San Diego’s Balboa Park. All proceeds from WOOFSTOCK will benefit Canine Companions, which is a nonprofit organization that provides assistance dogs to people with disabilities completely free of charge. This ‘60’s themed festival is open to the public and well-behaved, leashed dogs. There is plenty of free parking. Admission is only $5 and discount coupons are being distributed to local businesses. Sponsorship and vendor opportunities are available.

The day will begin with the Peace, Love & Walk ‘N Roll fun dog walk at 9:00AM. Walk registration fee (($35 adult, $15 child, $60 family) includes the official WOOFSTOCK tie dye t-shirt, free Festival admission and a sWAG bag filled with great surprises! The walk is approximately 1.3 miles through beautiful Balboa Park and online registration is available at http://www.cci.org/woofstock. Walkers have the opportunity to raise funds for Canine Companions and exciting prizes will be rewarded based on the donations collected. The Top Dog Fundraiser will win a custom painting of their pooch by artist Deirdre O’Byrne!

The WOOFSTOCK Festival begins at 10:00AM. There are plenty of fun activities for the family and Fido! Enjoy demonstrations by amazing canines including assistance dogs, Disc Dogs, search and rescue dogs and our own Ballistic Racers Flyball Team. Compete in contests for Grooviest Costume, Best Trick, Longest Tail, and Biggest and Smallest Paws. Check out the games and activities at the Children’s Fun Zone. Bring your dog to the K9 Playground. Shop at the dozens of vendor booths, bid on unique items in a silent auction and enjoy delicious refreshments.

WOOFSTOCK is the premiere dog festival in San Diego County! Last year, approximately 2,000 people attended.

About WOOFSTOCK:
For more information, visit http://www.cci.org/woofstock or call (760) 901-4300. For sponsorship and vendor inquiries, contact Annie Scott at (760) 901-4306.

About Canine Companions for Independence:
Canine Companions for Independence provides highly-trained assistance dogs to children and adults with disabilities. Established in 1975, Canine Companions has five regional training centers across the country, including a local facility in Oceanside. Canine Companions is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people. There is no charge for the dog, training and ongoing follow-up services. For more information, visit http://www.cci.org or call 1-800-572-BARK.

 

Meet the Speed- Vegas

Vegas or Vegie is a rescue split faced border collie who is a flyball fanatic. She and her mom Joanne, have been racing in flyball for seven years and hold numerous titles. Vegie loves flyball more that anything else in the world. She usually is in the start dog position and smiling as she clears the jumps. She enjoys walks, playing frisbee and likes to ride in the car. She recently took up swimming which she enjoys immensely. Vegie has great flyball skills and is the border collie on our team logo.

 

Why Canine Water Therapy? ©2009

Article By Alison Spencer White & Natalie Lindberg R.V.T. of
The Total Dog, Canine Fitness & Rehab Center in Oceanside, CA

For many years water therapy (hydrotherapy) has been used with horses. While it provides all of the same benefits for dogs, it has only caught on in the canine arena over the last ten years. “Canine Water Therapy” is now recognized throughout the world as a beneficial modality for fitness, physical and psychological rehabilitation.

 

Aspen Pet Easy Hitch 2 Mountain Dog Leash

Reviewed by Jane Ozuna

Our Border Collie (Sasha) has a leash fetish. She can destroy a normal leash in minutes (and has done it several times). The Aspen Pet Easy Hitch 2 Mountain Leash is one of the most amazing leashes we’ve ever used. This tough leash is made of intertwined nylon rope (approx 1’” in diameter). Sasha hasn’t been able to destroy this one, even though she tries!
The handle of the leash has a clasp that opens and closes to allow your pet to be secured to a tree or railing without having to remove the leash from the collar. We love it for Flyball, as we can secure the leash around our waist while running Sasha. How easy is that?! It’s also a super strong and durable leash. The leash is made of intertwined nylon rope and comes in red or gray. Available in 6’ length. You can purchase the leash at Petco stores and it sells for $27.99. Petco.com has it for $17.99. It’s a little pricey, but well worth it.

Sasha models her Easy Hitch 2 Leash

 

Captains’ Comments

As Captains, we are extremely proud of our team, Ballistic Racers. Flyball is a sport which requires dedication on the part of the handler as well as the dog. Coming to weekly practice, setting aside time for racing, and preparing for tournaments are chores we all have to face as members of a flyball team. Some members have even been coming to practice twice a week!

Ballistic Racers is less than two years old, and we already have two teams racing, with a third in the making. We have been competing against teams which have been established for a decade or more, and have been able to place first, second or third. Some of our dogs have only been practicing for a few months, and are already good solid dogs, receiving titles and medals. Of course some dogs take longer than others, but dedication is the name of the game. Those repetitions imprint the knowledge in the dog’s memory so they will remember for extended periods of time.

Even though we spend hours training, our team goal is to have fun. We have great times at practice, doing demos, and at tournaments. Whether we are enjoying one of our fabulous barbecues, practicing box turns, or helping new dogs learn the jumps, we want everyone to have fun. As you can see from our newsletter, website, and videos, we and our dogs have fun!

Brian and Joanne Matsumoto

Ballistic Racers Flyball Captains

Go Ballistic!!

 

Mr. Cool

Noted border collie flyball athlete Contact Point’s Rip Tide Zip (AKA “Zippy”) relaxes after exercising in the pool.