Man’s best friend was once again the highlight of last weekend’s Summer Festival in downtown Washington, as dozens of local and national dogs took center stage at Washington’s annual Dock Dogs showcase.

This year’s competition drew 83 entries from four states and featured eight different events — Extreme Vertical, Speed Retrieve and Big Air Wave. Those furry contestants who participated in all three events were eligible for Iron Dog category, an honor which two local dogs placed in the top three.

The pool is 20-by-8 feet and four-feet deep, fitted with a platform stage fitted to allow dogs a running start. The Big Air Wave required canines to get a running start and launch themselves off the stage and into the pool, the furthest mark taking first place.

The extreme vertical required each dog elevate towards a dummy placed on a bar at the edge of the pool. The dog needed to grab the object and pull it away from the bar entirely. The highest jump took first place.

The speed retrieve measured each animal’s agility. Dogs jumped off the platform, swam the length of the pool, retrieved the dummy and brought it back to its owner. The quickest time from jump to retrieve won.

“We wet down pieces of carpet so the dogs would not burn their pads while waiting in line to participate,” said Neil Woolard, the Dock Dogs chairman for the Summer Festival. “Also, several tents were available for shade during mid-day.”

Among the local entries, two dogs from Blounts Creek made a splash against national competition. River, a yellow lab who had success in last year’s competition and is handled by Phyllis Manning, took first place in the Extreme Vertical finals, notching a mark of 6 feet, 6 inches. Rugar, a mixed breed dog handled by Julie Linder, blew away the competition in the Big Air Semi-Pro finals, recording a jump of 20 feet, 8 inches.

Both Ruger and River were ranked second and third, respectively, in the final tally for Iron Dog, but it was Keeler, a yellow lab from Virginia Beach, that took the showcase’s top honor.

Here are the results from last weekend’s competition:

 

BIG AIR AMATEUR

First Place – Holly, Golden Retriever, Stephanie Cook, Port Charlotte, Fla. (12 feet, 1 inch)

Second Place – Lady, Black Lab, Brynna Coelho, Clayton (8 feet, 5 inches)

 

BIG AIR CONTENDER

First Place – Cleveland, Rottweiler, Jessica Wilde, Virginia Beach, Va. (18 feet)

Second Place – Djaiko, Dutch Shepherd, Maynard Pease, Chesapeake, Va. (17 feet, 11 inches)

Third Place – Kagen, Mixed, Cassie Hancock, Durham (17 feet, 7 inches)

 

BIG AIR SEMI-PRO

First Place – Ruger, Mixed, Julie Linder, Blounts Creek (20 feet, 8 inches)

Second Place – Mandy, Black Lab, Libby Griffin, Charlotte (19 feet, 11 inches)

Third Place – Leia, Black Lab, Karen Cummings, Virginia Beach, Va. (19 feet, 11 inches)

 

BIG AIR PRO

First Place – Nerlens, Dutch Shepherd, Jeff Wheeler, Hampton, Va. (22 feet, 11 inches)

 

EXTREME VERTICAL

First Place – River, Yellow Lab, Phyllis Manning, Blounts Creek (6 feet, 6 inches)

Second Place – Ruger, Mixed, Julie Linder, Blounts Creek (6 feet, 4 inches)

Third Place – Keeler, Yellow Lab, Gwen Mowrey, Virginia Beach, Va. (6 feet, 4 inches)

 

SPEED RETRIEVE

First Place – Kingston, Yellow Lab, Gwen Mowrey, Virginia Beach, Va. (7.144 seconds)

Second Place – Djaiko, Dutch Shepherd, Maynard Pease, Chesapeake, Va. (7.551 seconds)

Third Place – Keeler, Yellow Lab, Gwen Mowrey, Virginia Beach, Va. (7.673 seconds)

 

IRON DOG RANKINGS

First Place – Keeler, Yellow Lab, Gwen Mowrey, Virginia Beach, Va.

Second Place – Ruger, Mixed, Julie Linder, Blounts Creek

Third Place – River, Yellow Lab, Phyllis Manning, Blounts Creek

 

BIG AIR LOCAL HONORABLE MENTIONS

Georgia, Chocolate Lab, Archie Griffin, Washington (15 feet, 10 inches – Third Senior Division)

Butler, Mixed, Mariah Mordecai, Bath (15 feet, 9 inches – Fourth Senior Division)

Buttercup, Yellow Lab, Rod Silverman, Washington (8 feet, 6 inches – First Novice Division)