Happy Thanksgiving 2016 from the Liver Killers!
We camped this Thanksgiving at American Heritage RV Park in Williamsburg, VA.
Our campsite:
View from our campsite:
The weather was nice enough that we were able to get outside a lot with the pups. We went on several hikes:
…and at night, our pack of GLAMpers relaxed in the camper bed …
We liked this campground a lot and had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with friends. We hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving as well!
Those of you who have been following our website know that Hooch was invited to compete in a Purnia Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge Qualifier at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. Well, as an added bonus, we were able to get Limoncello qualified to compete in this qualifier as well! We knew Limoncello would jump no matter what, but we were very unsure about Hooch, as for the first time, we were on a dock with no railings (scary!).
It turned out that Limoncello jumped very well, and Hooch – well – was “HOOOOOOOOCH!”
Limoncello rockin’ the dock:
Hooch giving the crowd some entertainment… (wait for the very end!)
We also enjoyed walking around at the Kennel CLub of Philadelphia’s National Dog Show!
Neither dog qualified to move on to the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge, but we sure had a great time, and enjoyed every moment of this new experience!
Rita participated in the “Day of the Dog” 5k race through Virtual Run Events!
Our time was 33:01 – we managed to shave off 56 seconds from our last race!
This was a great run, as the fall colors were absolutely amazing!
20% of our registration fee was donated to Freedom Service Dogs. Freedom Service Dogs is a nonprofit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by rescuing dogs, and custom training them for individual client needs. Clients include children, veterans, active duty military, and other adults. Their disabilities include autism, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Rita added another medal to her spot on our “Wall of Fame!”
Rita’s total race miles: 9.35 miles
On our road trip back home from the 2016 DockDogs World Championship, the one and only stop-over was at Wolfies Campground in Zanesville, OH.
This was a great stop-over with an easy pull-through site. The owners were very nice also!
Our site (#41):
Morning walk before we hit the road to our final destination…home!
During the 2015 DockDogs World Championship and the 2016 DockDogs World Championship we stayed at the Holiday Inn Dubuque/Galena, in Dubuque, Iowa. The hotel was located directly across from the competition arena.
Our room (2015):
View from our room (2015):
Even with the hotel being under construction in some areas, the hotel was clean, and the staff was friendly!
2016:
Last year we attended the DockDogs World Championship with all three of our diving dogs qualifying to compete. This year, we were lucky enough for all three competing dogs to qualify once again for the DockDogs World Championship in all the disciplines in which they participate! Check out our 2016 Season in Review and see some of our team’s Worlds Bling by clicking HERE!
We drove our motor home out to Iowa this year! We had custom window decals made and updated the “Miles to Dubuque, Iowa” with every stop-over!
Our Route:
Dubuque, Iowa – Dog Town:
Our Schedule:
LIMONCELLO:
Limoncello competed as an Iron Dog.
Big Air:
22’0″
22’4″
Speed Retrieve: 8.531 secnds
Extreme Vertical: 5’4″
Total: Iron Dog Points: 2754.14 points
At the big Golden Paw Awards Gala, Limoncello was named DockDogs #1 Ranked Warrior Iron Dog in the World!
HOOCH:
Hooch competed in Elite Division Big Air, and Top Gun Division Extreme Vertical.
Big Air: 23’3″
Extreme Vertical: 5’10”
At the big Golden Paw Awards Gala, Hooch was named DockDogs #1 Ranked German Shorthaired Pointer in the World!
LAGER:
Lager competed in Senior Division Big Air (with Jenny) and Top Gun Division Extreme Vertical (with Brian).
Big Air: 19’3″
Extreme Vertical: 5’10”
MARGARITA:
Although Margarita doesn’t compete, she was sure ready to cheer her siblings on with her Super Fly suit and painted pink piggies!
Our fellow GSP Rescue of NJ friends, Jen and Grace, drove all the way from New Jersey to Iowa to be with us and our team. Jen and Grace took Margarita every day during the competition to run at the dog park! Margarita even took a trip with Jen and Grace to see the Mississippi River. Much to Margarita’s delight, her Aunt Jen and Grace also took her to get a McDonald’s chicken sandwich for lunch one day, and to Starbucks to enjoy a puppuccino! I think Margarita had THE time of her life!
We are so proud to have been able to compete against the best dock diving dogs in the world, and are so very pleased with the performance of our pups!
After a long road trip from New Jersey to the 2016 DockDogs World Championship, we arrived in Dubuque, IA!
Even though we stayed at the Holiday Inn in Downtown Dubuqe with all the other competitors, we had driven our motor home out to Iowa, and needed a place to park it for the week. Swiss Valley Campground was the perfect place! Once we saw this beautiful 62 acre park, we wish we had camped for the week instead of staying in the hotel!
Our campsite (site #4):
Immediately after arriving, we had to pack up all of our dock diving gear, and head over to the hotel in our rental car!
The two “Princess and the Pea” gals “helped” us pack:
We said goodbye to the camper for the week – but got to stay the night here at beautiful Swiss Valley Campground on our last night in Dubuque, IA, before heading back home to New Jersey.
We stayed here for the week during the 2019 DockDogs World Championship.
Our Campsite (site #4):
Limoncello and Margarita walking on the nature path:
Porter, Lager, Whiskey, and Limoncello playing in the creek:
Hooch taking a walk through the campground:
Our second stop-over on the way to the 2016 DockDogs World Championship was at South Bend / Elkhart North Koa in Granger, IN.
Our Campsite:
Morning walks and some relaxing time before we hit the road on our last leg of our road trip to Dubuque, Iowa:
Updating our “Miles-To-Iowa” sign!
On our long trip out to Iowa for the 2016 DockDogs World Championship, our first stop-over was at Shawnee State Park in Schellsburg, PA. Shawnee State Park is a 3,983-acre Pennsylvania state park in Juniata and Napier Townships, Bedford County, Pennsylvania ans is absolutely gorgeous!
Our site (#69):
View from our site:
Morning walks before continuing on our way to Iowa:
At each stop, we changed our “Miles-To-Iowa” sign!
Although we were only here for a short one-night stop-over, what we saw of the park was absolutely gorgeous! I hope we get to come back to this state park for a weekend camping trip sometime soon!
Photo Credit: Becca Connor
The 2016 DockDogs Season ended in October, with the World Championship being held in November. The Liver Killers had an amazing season last year. This year was just as exciting!
Limoncello the “Dock Diving Diva”
Photo Credit: Ken Tidy Photography
Limoncello had an incredible season, earning new Personal Bests in Big Air (25 ft), Speed Retrieve (7.33 seconds), AND Iron Dog (2,883 points)! She earned an invitation to the DockDog World Championship in all disciplines for the second year in a row, although Brian decided only to accept the Big Air and Iron Dog invitations. Cello is the # 2 German Shorthaired Pointer in the World for Big Air, and also earned the #1 spot for overall Warrior Division Iron Dog in the World!
Overall World Rankings
Hooch the “Dock Diving Dude”
Photo Credit: Ken Tidy Photography
Hooch had a big year also! After his “scare” on the dock last November at the World Championship when they shut the lights down and had spotlights on the dock, Hooch carried that fear until almost May of this season. He finally gained his confidence back, and began to jump HUGE! He earned a new Personal Best in Big Air (25’4″!!!!), and also is the #1 German Shorthaired Pointer in the World! Hooch earned himself an invitation to the DockDog World Championship for both disciplines in which he competes (Big Air and Extreme Vertical). Hooch was also recently invited to participate in a qualifier for the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge! That qualifier will be in November as well.
Overall World Rankings
Lager the “Deployed Dock Diving Dawg”
Photo Credit: Ken Tidy Photography
Lager continued to excel in his first full year of competition. Lager secured an invitation to the DockDog World Championship for the 2 disciplines in which he competes (Big Air and Extreme Vertical).
Overall World Rankings
Margarita the “Team Cheerleader”
Margarita joined our pack right before the start of the dock diving season, and has been a wonderful team cheerleader! Margarita is still learning toy-drive as she gets used to the water and learns how to swim. She has come a long way, and we are very, VERY proud of her!
Sponsorships
We are super proud to be a part of some very unique and prestigious sponsorships this year!
Photo Credit: Ken Tidy Photography
Publications:
Limoncello, Hooch, Lager, and Margarita were featured in several publications this season!
Giving Back:
The Liver Killers are happy to report that along with the help of some friends and fellow competitors, an abundance of food, toys, and supplies were donated to a few really great organizations…and a grand total of $3,868 was raised!
Worlds Bling:
As we begin to prepare for our second long trip out to Iowa for the DockDogs World Championship, we continue to reflect upon the amazing season we had, all the exciting adventures we encountered, and the many incredible people and dogs we met because of our pups and this wonderful sport. We cherish every moment, and embrace it ALL: the highs and lows, the laughter and the tears, the (VERY) early mornings, the late nights, our every-growing camping group, and the comradery shared with friends at the events. We are truly blessed to be a part of such an awesome community. 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, co-workers, bosses, fellow competitors, and social media followers is beyond overwhelming, and greatly appreciated. Thank you ALL for being a part of this thrilling ride with us. We look forward to writing the next chapter of this adventure together!
We are both honored and excited to have the privilege of competing against the top dogs in the world. No matter where our dogs rank at the World Championship this year, we are beyond proud of all of our pups, and thrilled that we have the opportunity to share this grand experience. We cannot wait to spend the week at the World Championship with our DockDogs family!
