DockDogs Debut in Quincy at The Great Outdoors Show

The first-ever Great Outdoors Show opened its doors at the Oakley Lindsay Center in Quincy on Saturday morning. One of the highlights of the show is the first Quincy appearance of the nationally-known canine aquatics competition, DockDogs.

"Basically dogs jumping into a pool to see how far they can go," is how DockDogs was described by their announcer, Jered McMahon. "We also have two other disciplines. One's called Speed Retrieve, that's like a dog drag race, it's a timed event; and then the other one is our Extreme Vertical competition, that's our dog high jump."

According to McMahon, the DockDogs can be seen nearly every weekend at events and festivals around the Midwest. "We start early January and go all the way through November when we have our world championships, which will be held just up north of here, in Dubuque, Iowa. We run about 300 events per year, throughout the country."

DockDogs events will be taking place throughout the weekend during The Great Outdoors Show. "We run events all day long. Just about every two hours we have a wave (or a competition)."

One of the cool things about DockDogs is that their events are open to locals and their pets. "Anybody can do this. If you want to come out and compete, you're more than welcome to do that." McMahon says that there are a few basic guidelines for getting local dogs involved in the competition. "Your dog must be at least six months of age. The person with the dog on the dock, or the handler, must be at least seven years of age ... other than that, if your dog has a high toy drive, and it likes the water, those are two of the qualities that it needs to become a DockDog."

The cost to register your dog is $30 for those 16 and older, $15 for those between the ages of 7 and 15. The registration fee includes one wave of competition, and practice all weekend long on the dock.

Great Outdoors Show hours are 10AM-6PM on Saturday, and noon-4PM on Sunday.

Tickets to The Great Outdoors Show will be $6 for adults (which includes a 20-pack of Mt. Dew from Refreshment Services Pepsi for the first 1,000 paid adult admissions), $2 for kids 15 and under, and kids 3 and under will be admitted free. All tickets will be sold at the door.

To save $1 on an adult ticket, click on the coupon below, print a copy and bring it with you to the Oakley Lindsay Center on the day of the show.