May the Force be with you this Halloween!
Princess Cello: “Be nice to my brothers?… I’d just as soon kiss a Wookie!”
Hooch Vader: “Cello, you underestimate the power of the Dark Side!”
Imperial Walker Lager: From the U.S. Military to the Imperial Army
Since Lager has joined our family, we have tried to keep his nose busy so that he can still feel like he is doing his job. Here is Lager finding Hydrogen Peroxide in our home. Hydrogen Peroxide is just one of the 30-plus explosives ingredients Lager is trained to identify.
Pretty impressive!
Instead of camping, we decided to stay at a hotel for our last dock diving event of the season, since we are not used to staying in hotels, and because we would have to stay in a hotel for the DockDogs World Championship. We hoped that this would prep our whole pack for our trip out to Iowa in November. The Westin was attached directly to the Pittsburgh Expo Center, so we decided that would be our home-away-from-home for the weekend.
What a gorgeous hotel this was! …And the hotel staff were MORE than dog friendly! We felt so at-home here! The biggest surprise was the size of our room… it was GINORMOUS! The dogs thought they were at an indoor dog park!
This hotel was very clean, the staff were not only friendly – but super DOG friendly, and the breakfast was delicious!
The last dock diving event before the World Championship! We chose to do this event because like the World Championship, this event was held indoors. We knew Cello would jump in any conditions, but Hooch had not been to an indoor event since March (when he was plopping in at 5-6 feet!), and Lager had never been to an indoor event.
This event, hosted by Three Rivers DockDogs, was their annual indoor “Quest for the Belt.” If you remember back to September, we attended their annual outdoor Quest for the Belt. At these events, the handler of the dog with the longest jump wins the Champion Belt. The winning team then has to return to the annual event, belt in hand, and defend the belt against a new set of divers! Hooch had the longest jump of the weekend, until Sunday rolled around and he got knocked down to 2nd longest jump by one of the biggest jumping dogs in the world! Darn! We almost got that coveted belt!
We were quite pleased with all the dogs’ performances. Each one performed in their “normal” range for an indoor event. I say that because in general, dogs do not usually jump as far inside as they do outside. Maybe its the loud noise of an enclosed building full of barking dogs and cheering spectators, or perhaps it’s the pool water that is a bit colder than usual?
Unfortunately, shortly into the event, Cello slipped on the wet floor, and injured herself. With just weeks left until the World Championship, we were very nervous that this injury could hinder her ability to perform at the World Championship event. We scratched her from the rest of this event, called our vet, and let her rest for the remainder of the weekend. Luckily, with great care and advice from our vet, Cello healed nicely and was fully recovered to compete at Worlds.
LIMONCELLO:
BIG AIR:
21’1″ 21’8″
20’5″ 20’8″
19’7″ SCRATCH
As I mentioned above, Hooch had a great weekend – and had the longest jump of the event until Sunday. We were more than pleased with his performance, and he did not show any signs of being afraid, or hesitant. Hooch is very easily spooked, so we were thrilled that he jumped with such enthusiasm in a loud, enclosed environment.
HOOCH:
BIG AIR:
22’8″ 23’3″ 2nd Place Elite
22’5″ 22’8″
21’6″ 22’0″
Elite Finals: 22’2″ 22’5″ 3rd Place Elite
I was very nervous competing with Lager at this event, not knowing if he would jump indoors. As with everything else Lager is presented with, he performed exuberantly, with no hesitation at all, and was a crowd favorite!
Our friend, Kim, who is the gal that makes all those great Super Fly Suits you see the dogs wearing, had brought our completed suit that we had ordered special for Lager for the World Championship.
The suit is AWESOME, and in typical Lager-fashion, he displayed his excitement and “flew” out of Kim’s arms…Haha
We had no idea about Lager’s next adventure at this event. A handler who was also competing in this event with his dog was a Veteran. Three Rivers DockDogs asked the human Veteran and Lager to lead the crowd in The Star Spangled Banner. This was SO cool, and such a huge honor! Look how proud Lager is!
LAGER:
BIG AIR:
18’5″ 17’11” 1st Place Senior
18’6″ 19’7″ 1st Place Senior
18’7″ 20’1″
Senior Finals: 19’6″ 20’3″ 5th Place Senior
THE LIVER KILLERS 2015 DOCK DIVING SEASON IN REVIEW!
The dock diving season technically ends in mid-October, with the World Championships being held in November. We have officially completed our season, and what a season we had!
TOMMY D’s LIMONCELLO
Brian’s main goal this season was to earn an invitation to the World Championship with Cello in Warrior Division Iron Dog (a combined averaged score of Big Air, Extreme Vertical, and Speed Retrieve). Not only did Brian and Cello achieve this goal, they did so very early in the season at the Wild Card event at Cabela’s in West Virginia during the month of May!
Little did we know that was just the beginning of Cello’s road to Worlds! Brian and Cello went on to earn an invite in Speed Retrieve (also earned at the Wild Card event at Cabela’s in West Virginia)
But that’s not where Cello’s invites ended! She earned an invite for Dueling Dogs, after participating in that discipline for the first time ever at the Mid Atlantic Regionals, held at Shipps Corner Pet Spa in Virginia Beach.
At the end of the season, we found out her rankings from sanctioned facility events also earned her an invite in Extreme Vertical, as well as Big Air!
OVERALL WORLD RANKINGS:
UNITED STATES OVERALL RANKINGS:
Cello ended the season with an injury. While competing at the indoor event at the Pittsburgh Pet Expo in Pittsburgh, PA, Cello slipped on the wet floor, and strained muscles in her neck and front leg. Unfortunately this meant pain meds and lots of rest during the 2 weeks leading up to Worlds. We are hopeful that she will be be back to 100% for the World Championship competition.
Windy Spot’s Homemade Hooch
As a puppy, Hooch wanted NOTHING to do with water of any sort. He slowly began to realize water wasn’t so bad, and cautiously went into our lake and into a baby pool. The weather quickly became what was to be the coldest, snowiest winter we’ve ever had, and access to water became difficult. We took Hooch to some indoor pools, were he felt comfortable jumping in at the water’s edge. However, when he found himself up on a regulation dock, which sits 2 feet above the water, Hooch gave dock diving a second thought. Hooch kicked off his dock diving career in January being very hesitant on the dock. He would run down the dock, get to the edge and “teeter” for a long while – sometimes not jumping and timing-out, and other times projecting himself off the edge of the dock as if he had springs in his back legs, only landing a few feet into the water! He quickly became a crowd favorite with his “Hoochie Hop,” as the crowd waited in anticipation to see if he would POP off the dock…or not! By about April, he was “hopping” out to about 7-8 feet, still hesitating, and still choosing not to jump at times. By May we discovered that with Jenny running down the dock with him, Hooch would hesitate less. This technique got Hooch leaping up to 17 – 18 feet by the beginning of June. By mid June we had switched to the “Place and Send” method, bringing Hooch to the very back of the dock (Thank you Frank Moraff for forcing me to do this!!) With that change came great results. Hooch jumped 21 feet in mid-June, and by the end of June soared 23’8″ and earned his invitation to Worlds at 13 months old ! By July, Hooch jumped his current personal best, 24’2″, and also earned a second invitation to the World Championship for Cadet Division Extreme Vertical. In September, Hooch was nominated for “Most Improved” for the Golden Paw Awards, held at the Gala during The World Championship celebration, and was voted to be one of the finalists for the award.
Here is my absolute favorite video from this season: It captures Hooch’s progression from being fearful of water, to his 23+ ft jump that earned him his Big Air Invite to the World Championship!
OVERALL WORLD RANKINGS:
UNITED STATES OVERALL RANKINGS:
Brogan’s American Lager
Lager came home with us on August 23, apparently born to be a dock diver, not an Explosives Detection Canine! When the training company who had Lager (known then as Nayt) saw how much he loved the water, they contacted DockDogs in hopes to find a family who were familiar with the breed, had access to water for him to swim, and would promise to get him dock diving. Read the full story on how Lager became a part of our pack by clicking HERE! The first day Lager came home, he was exposed to water, and had no fear of the lake, or jumping off the dock. He had a perfect sit-stay, and seemed like he came to us with the Big Air discipline of dock diving mastered! In less than a week’s time, Lager also picked up on Extreme Vertical, easily grabbing the bumper on our home rig. Lager competed in just 2 national level events, and earned himself an invitation to the World Championships in Big Air!
OVERALL WORLD RANKINGS:
UNITED STATES OVERALL RANKINGS:
GIVING BACK:
The Liver Killers are also happy to report that through their 2015 winnings, an abundance of food, toys, and supplies were donated to the Animal Orphanage of Voorhees, NJ, and over $1,100 was donated to the GSP Rescue of NJ!
OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS THIS SEASON:
WORLDS BLING:
In preparation for The Liver Killers World Championship competition in Dubuque, Iowa in November, we ordered some cool team gear:
Team Shirts and and Hoodies from CustomInk
When Custom Ink found out that The Liver Killers donate all their cash prizes to the GSP Rescue of NJ , they made a donation to the rescue in honor of Cello’s Corner and The Liver Killers! How cool is that?!
Window decals for our vehicles from Vistaprint
Car magnets from Vistaprint
Team banner from Half Price Banners
And of course, “pawtograph” cards – made by our friend, Mandy!
After the season our team has had, it won’t matter to us what happens at Worlds – we are beyond proud of all three of our pups- and overjoyed that we have the opportunity to share this experience as a family!
As we begin to pack for our big adventure, we continue to reflect back on the amazing season these pups had. We will cherish every memory – the highs and lows – the laughter and the tears – the (very) early mornings – the late nights watching EV under the lights – and the comradery shared with friends at events. We are truly blessed to be part of such a great community (humans and animals alike). Never have we met such a large group of the nicest people who not only strive to improve within their own team, but will at the same time stop and help other fellow competitors to enhance their game, and applaud fellow opponents just as enthusiastically as they cheer on their own dog. The patience, advice, support, and guidance we have received from friends, family, fellow competitors, and social media followers is overwhelming, and greatly appreciated. Thank you all for being part of this thrilling escapade with us. We look forward to writing the next chapter of this adventure together!
This event is one of our annual favorites – however, this year, it was a bit more exciting (and stressful!) as it was our very last chance to increase Lager’s overall Big Air average in hopes to get him qualified to earn an invitation to the DockDogs World Championship held this November.
Shipps Corner does a great job of decorating the dock for Halloween! 
Limoncello
Big Air:
22’0″ 22’4″ 2nd Place Master
16’9″ 20’7″ 2nd Place Master
20’4″ 21’1″ 2nd Place Master
Pro Finals: 17’4″ 20’3″ 5th Place
Extreme Vertical:
5’0″ 3rd Place Cadet
Speed Rretrieve:
8.332 4th Place Express
Iron Dog:
2735.00 Points 1st Place Warrior Iron Dog
————————————————————-
Hooch
Big Air:
22’11” 22’5″
21’2″ 23’3″ 2nd Place Elite
22’2″ 22’0″
Pro Finals: 23’9 23’7″ 1st Place
———————————————————————
Lager
Big Air: (Handler: Jenny)
11’3″ 13’10”
19’4″ 19’5″ 2nd Place Senior
20’2″ 19’3″
Extreme Vertical: (Handler: Brian)
6’0″ 5th Place Top Gun
This event was loads of fun – and one we will never forget – as it was this event (only the SECOND National event Lager has attended) where Lager pushed his Big Air Average high enough to earn a Big Air World Championship invite in the Senior Division! Way to go, Lager!
Three months after returning from Iraq, two months after joining our family, and after competing in only 2 National events, Lager earned his invitation to the DockDogs World Championship for Senior Division Big Air! Words cannot express how proud we are of this boy!
Lager was named Bird Dog of the Day on Instagram! Visit #birddogoftheday to see more cool bird dogs!
Blogville Sadie Hawkins Dance PAWty!
Hooch was asked by the beautiful Paisley to the Blogville Sadie Hawkins Dance PAWty!
I have to admit he was super-excited – and what dog wouldn’t be – Hooch’s date was the prettiest gal at the dance!
To read the full story, visit our friends over at Barking From the Bayou and read the details about the dance!
Wondering who the heck Sadie Hawkins is and why she has a dance named after her? Today I Found Out has a great explanation:
Sadie Hawkins’ renown, which evolved into an American folk-holiday in some places, doesn’t really originate from a dance, but rather from a race, as we shall soon see. Sadie was the product of the fertile imagination of cartoonist Al Capp. She was a character in his popular cartoon Lil’ Abner, set in the hillbilly town of Dogpatch, that began its wildly successful 40 year run in 1934.
The way Al tells it, Sadie was the daughter of Hekzebiah Hawkins, one of the town’s first settlers, who had the dubious distinction of being the “homeliest gal in all them hills.” After waiting not-so-patiently for 15 years for a suitor to show up at her door, not a single prospective husband arrived to court her. With each passing year, Sadie became more and more panicky, as did her father, who did not relish the idea of supporting a spinster daughter for the rest of her days.
So, figuring he had nothing to lose, he called all the unmarried men of Dogpatch together and declared it Sadie Hawkins Day. In a reversal of Atalanta’s race in ancient Greek mythology, the race placed Sadie in hot pursuit of the town’s bachelors; the “lucky” chap she managed to catch became her lawful wedded husband. Or, as her Paw explained it, “When ah fires [my gun], all o’ yo’ kin start a-runnin! When ah fires agin—after givin’ yo’ a fair start—Sadie starts a runnin’. Th’ one she ketches’ll be her husbin.” Pure poetry.
The rest of the spinsters in Dogpatch thought the race was an excellent idea, and insisted upon making Sadie Hawkins Day a yearly and mandatory event, much to the horror of the bachelors in town, who apparently had no say in the matter. According to the strip, if a woman caught a man and dragged him, presumably kicking, screaming, and crying for mommy, over the finish line before the sun had set, by law he had to marry her. This had overtones of a caveman clubbing a woman and dragging her back to his cave, and was as close to women’s lib as you’d get at the time in popular entertainment.
This entire Sadie Hawkins Day story line was a plot device concocted by Al Capp for the romance between main characters Abner and Daisy Mae, which had a bit of a Ross and Rachel from “Friends” quality to it. Eventually, Capp put everyone out of their misery and allowed the two characters to finally marry.
The dance didn’t appear in the strip until a bit later. The Sadie Hawkins Dance took place on the evening before the race, and the spinster girls traditionally wore hob-nailed boots to “unintentionally” stomp on the feet of the single men in attendance, which unfortunately (for them) might adversely affect their ability to run the next day during the race.
Sadie Hawkins Day as a popular culture phenomenon was all the rage on college campuses by 1939. According to Lifemagazine, over 200 colleges were celebrating a Sadie Hawkins Day that year, and it was obvious that the tradition was quickly gaining in popularity with the nation’s young people.
The question is – why? One reason could be that as the nation was taking its first strides out of the Great Depression, a down-home low-cost activity like Sadie Hawkins Day was something that all could participate in, without the need to rent a tux or buy a gown as prom or homecoming would entail. There was also the naughty novelty of girls inviting boys for a social outing.
Compared to the Roaring ‘20s, the ‘30’s were considerably more sexually repressed. Gone were the flappers, bee-stung lips and bootleg whiskey. The depression brought with it a sober prissiness that made the very idea of a woman openly pursuing a man deeply offensive to many. But an approved activity such as Sadie Hawkins Day – where a lady could state her choice with impunity and not be labeled a Jezebel – while at the same time men could pretend to be horrified while secretly being titillated – that’s a situation where everyone wins!
By 1952, it was reported that Sadie Hawkins Day was celebrated at over 40,000 different locations. In that year, Capp wrote:
It’s become my responsibility [to include Sadie Hawkins Day every year in the strip.] It doesn’t happen on any set day in November; it happens on the day I say it happens. I get tens of thousands of letters from colleges, communities, and church groups, starting around July, asking me what day, so they can make plans.
Eventually, it morphed into an event of an entire day’s duration that fell on the Saturday after November ninth.
For today’s young women, Sadie Hawkins Day doesn’t seem all that relevant anymore. But for a few decades in the middle of the twentieth century, it served as a social bridge between the years when women rarely left the home and the sexual revolution.
Lager and Jenny made The SandPaper newspaper from our dock diving event
at the Ocean County Decoy and Gunning Festival … except they thought Lager was a Labrador…haha! 
