Even dogs come from all over to play ball at UNLV

Karen Zekan

Monday, March 9, 1998 | 10:05 a.m.

Big dogs, little dogs, pound dogs and purebreds -- there was room for all of them on UNLV's Intramural Field this weekend as canine enthusiasts from across the country brought along their four-legged friends for the Spring Fever Flyball Tournament.

It's an outlet that lets dogs be dogs; running, barking, fetching balls. And it was a natural draw for the late Viola Odell, who was instrumental in organizing the sport here in Las Vegas years ago.

"Vi's whole orientation was to get people to do things with their dogs," said Kris Pickering of Flying Colors, the team Odell's shelties and border collie had belonged to when she was murdered last October. "That's why we're dedicating this tournament in her memory."

Flyball is an event like no other, if only for the opportunity to see some of the most unusual combinations of dogs on a team working together to beat the clock in this high-speed hurdle relay race.

Like the "Lickety Splits Habaneros" team of three Dobermans and a tiny Cairn terrier named "Allie" from San Diego that at least once took on a team of speedy border collies and a Border Terrier from Chico, Calif.

Or "The Ballhaulers," who fielded a four-dog entry in each of their heats from their five dogs who made the trip from Turlock, Calif., including an Australian cattle dog, an English Shepherd, an "all-American" mix, and a bulldog named "Glory."

And while local teams put in impressive showings amongst about 150 dogs, it would be Minnesota's "Animal Inn" team of border collies and a high-spirited dog named Kyp -- part whippet, part sheltie -- who would depart McCarran International Airport the fastest of the bunch.

"It's nice to do something with your dog that your dog actually likes," said Marty Fulton, in town from Minnesota to support Animal Inn's team. "Some of the events we enter our dogs in, like obedience (competitions), they don't really like. But they love Flyball.

Border collies remain the zippiest of the breeds. The faster teams will turn in times as low as 18 seconds to run the Flyball course. A Canadian team is said to hold the world record of 16.5 seconds.

The sport got its start in southern California in the 1980s, gaining momentum over the years to become an international favorite with participants as far away as Great Britain, Australia and Japan.

Two teams of four dogs compete at a time. The first dog sprints over four low hurdles (8-16 inches high, set to the height of the smallest dog on the team) spaced 10 feet apart to a specially designed box which the dog must slap his paws against to release a ball from a chute at the top. With a quick 180-degree turn the dog zooms back over the hurdles, ball in mouth, crossing the start line just as the second dog takes off, and so on.

Sounds easy -- until you factor in that these dogs are going full-speed ahead, passing within inches of their teammates when they trade off on the start line, and are doing it amongst barking on the sidelines and their human teammates cheering them to the finish.

"But the box is the key to the whole operation," said Gretchen Stone, whose cocker spaniels Professor and Rooster ran on Las Vegas' "Desert Dawgs" team.

Handcrafted out of wood and covered with black foam cushioning, the standard box looks more like a huge bread box. It's the angled front part the dogs are aiming for -- the lever which, with the tap of a paw, rockets a ball out of a hole at the top.

"Dogs are either right or left handed," said Chris Watters, Animal Inn's official "ball loader" whose duty is to place a new ball in the pocket once one of the dogs has popped one out.

"You'll see it in how they turn once they get to the box -- either right or left. One of our border collies, Treppy, is ambidextrous -- he can turn either way. He likes to watch the competition. We designed our box to have two holes so he can turn toward the ring."

Some dogs hit the box with their front paws and either put their mouth on the hole to catch the ball or wait for it to pop out and hit the ground.

The smartest dogs hit the box like a swimmer doing a flip turn: They use their back legs to kick the box, catching the ball while facing the hurdles having already made their mid-air turn.

Each dog has its own style, like Glory the bull dog who seemed to be happily panting with each slow hurdle hop.

"It's another activity that gives her a chance to socialize with other dogs," said Bill Wellington of his Belgian Tervuren, Sam, who runs with the Las Vegas "Desert Dawgs."

"All the dogs have such a good time," said Bob Verhagen, of Flying Colors, as he gripped the collar on Oreo, his border Collie after a race.

"It takes practice getting them to learn how to pass each other, let alone getting them to run full-speed and jump hurdles. Some have a tendency to go for the ball in the other team's box. It's easy to get distracted. But they really have fun."