Damn fun day at the Ashley Whippet Invitational Competition in Naperville, Illinois

NAPERVILLE, IL– Competitive dogs from around the world gathered in Naperville, Illinois over the weekend of September 3rd to compete in the Ashley Whippet Invitational Competition. These daring dogs took part in various competitions and amazed the judges and spectators.

Maryann traveled from Ontario, Canada with her dog, Crush. Explaining the different components of the competition, she said: “Freestyle is based on criteria for tricks, how well the handler and a dog interact, the dog himself, the handler himself, and it’s based on a lot of short movements and tricks and even more throws .”

She went on to explain, “Throw and catch, you have 60 seconds to make as many throws as possible and throw as far as possible to score points.”

Competitive dog tossing originated around 1974 when dog enthusiast Alex Stein began performing riveting stunts with his whippet Ashley at nationally televised baseball games. A few years later, the Ashley Whippet competitions were born and have since grown into a global phenomenon.

Oscar Mauricio Arevlo Sanchez brought his dog Afrika all the way from Colombia! Her exuberance and dedication to the sport led her to take first place in the Open Overall Qualifier.

When asked why he travels so far for these competitions, Oscar said: “They only have a short life.