MAUMEE, Ohio — Everybody knows dogs love to swim, and with the weather warming up, some dogs took the plunge to cool off on Sunday.
But they were also competing for the title of top diving dog in the area at a dock diving event sponsored by the Toledo Kennel Club.
What is dock diving though?
Brian Butler, mobile dock operator for North America Diving Dogs, says the sport is essentially a long-jump competition for dogs, similar to what you might see in an Olympic long jump competition.
But instead of jumping into a pit of sand, the canine competitors jump off a dock and into a pool, sometimes up to 30 feet.
Dogs of all breeds and their owners were invited to take part in the fast-growing sport.
"We've had dogs out here already from six different states I think this week," said Butler.
Sara Hawkins brought her dog Magi to the event.
She says the event is just as much about bonding with the animals as it is about competition.
"This is my service dog and in order to have him bond better with me, we were told to do bonding experiences and I couldn't keep him in a canoe for the life of me. So we decided to look for dock diving, we've been doing it ever since, and he just took to it," said Sara.
Brian Butler agreed that the competition isn't necessarily the most important part of the sport.
“I personally have a dog that's going on 13 years old now and he's still competing. He'll be out here a little later this afternoon to compete. And he just has fun. He jumps only one foot, you know,” said Butler.
The dock diving event was held in conjunction with the Toledo Kennel Club All-Breed Dog Show and Obedience Trial at the Lucas County Rec Center.
The event was also a qualifier for the North American Diving Dogs National Championships in October.
If you missed the fun on Sunday and want to bring your dog out to try it for yourselves there will be another event in Monroe the weekend of July 8 - 10.
There is also a local club dedicated to the sport.
The Swamp Dogs Academy, on Roachton Rd. in Perrysburg, offers lessons in dock diving for dogs and their owners.
MORE FROM WTOL 11: