Local Woman Goes to the Dogs for Sporting Thrills

As far as dedication goes, Kristi Baird has it in droves.

And she doesn’t even have to get into the water.

Baird and her two chocolate labs, Buddy, 4, and Cooper, 3, are in Canton, Ohio this weekend for the Dock Dogs World Championships.

Somewhere between Chicago – where she flew into on Wednesday – and the Indiana border on an eight-hour drive, Baird explained that dock diving is a competition where dogs race to the end of a dock and jump into the water to retrieve a toy. It started out as filler on ESPN broadcasts and turned into a national phenomenon.

Dock diving, in her opinion, is letting a dog have a great time running, swimming and fetching.

“For a lab who really loves the water, every time they go up there, they get to play with their favorite person – their trainer – and their favorite person has their favorite toy in the world, and they get to go swimming.

“They love it. They absolutely love it," Baird said.

The world championships feature such events as Big Air, Extreme Vertical, Speed Retrieve and Iron Dog.

On Friday, Cooper took third in the Speed Retrieve prelims, which earned him an automatic berth to Sunday’s finals. His fastest time from the end of the dock to the end of the pool is 5.61 seconds.

Buddy, the 2008 Dock Dogs National Champion, is in the top third of the pack in several events after taking fifth in last year’s Extreme Vertical. His highest jump is 26 feet, 4 inches.

Baird is just happy to have her “big rockstar – all 80 pounds of him” with her this weekend.

Buddy, a rescue dog that Baird adopted at 14 months, underwent surgery in February to correct a bowel obstruction, and his survival wasn’t certain.

“We’re ecstatic,” she said. “We’re just absolutely thrilled that he can come and play and is doing as well as he’s doing. It’s like, we’re in the top third, but I don’t care – he’s here after going to hell and back in the last eight or nine months.

Baird got into dock diving in 2004 after seeing it at a sportsman’s show. Her father suggested she bring her dog, a water lover, to give it a try.

“She had so much fun that I went back the next day, and then the next event, and the next one, and the next one.”

Her first competition was in January 2005, and she “puts a lot of miles on the car” driving to seven to 10 national events every year, in addition to practicing. Last year’s world championships were in Salem, Ore.

Dogs of all breeds can compete as long as they are six months old. In addition to adult trainers, many youths are getting involved with the sport, which Baird calls “good, clean family fun.”

Not to say that the sport doesn’t draw a skeptical look or two at times.

“People say ‘I can’t believe you do this to your dog,’ and I’m holding my dog back from the dock because he thinks it’s his turn,” she said.

In addition to Buddy and Cooper, Baird has Henna, a chocolate lab who is retired from diving, and Muck, a golden lab puppy who is just getting started.

“I just love the personality of a lab,” she said. “They’re very happy-go-lucky animals, and we’re very active people, so it fits our lifestyle. They’re great family dogs, and just good, all-around dogs.”

So how would Baird describe her two competitors?

Buddy is “my goofball,” while Cooper is “very focused.”

Baird has the support of her family – her husband, Chris, has just started competing with Muck, and while their daughter, Elizabeth, a junior at , no longer competes, she comes to all of the events.

She also has the availability to spend five days a week working with her dogs. She works two 17-hour shifts as a CAT-scan tech at Allenmore Hospital in Tacoma.

“It can be brutal,” she admitted. “But I love getting to play with the dogs."

Her favorite part?

 “I love watching them learn things and progress over time, and they’re amazing, amazing athletes.”

When she isn’t working with her own dogs, Baird volunteers with the Puget Sound Dock Dogs, where she serves as its presidents. She suggests those interested in dock diving visit their website. The group practices at a pool in Puyallup.  

Baird, who used to ski, has kept away from the slopes due to bad knees. She said dock diving still gives her the competitive edge without putting her body through physical stress.

“I get to watch the athleticism of the dogs that I no longer have at 41 years old,” she said with a laugh.