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We are FUZZY LIGHTNING

We are a Flyball team in Michigan

Wanna know what Flyball is?

Flyball is one of the fastest sports for dogs you'll ever see. It is a relay race for dogs. Each Flyball team is made up of 4 dogs, big or small. Each race is broken down into heats, usually best out of 3 or 5 depending on who's winning or losing. The first team to win 3 heats wins that race. Now, during each heat the dogs from each team must run down a straight lane, which consists of 4 junps spaced about 6 feet apart. At the end of the lane there is a box that holds a tennis ball in a small hole, the dog must step on the pedal in front to trigger its release and catch the ball. They then bring the ball back over the 4 jumps and pass the next running dog from their team at the start line. The first team to finish wins.

There are lights and whistles and lots of barking and hallering at Flyball tournamnets. It's one of the noisiest events I've ever been at but it's so much fun you hardly notice.

As the dogs from each team run they are recorded and times are kept for each team. The faster your team runs the better but there are no time limits as to how long a team has to finish the race. Each Flyball team recieves points based on the times of each heat they ran for each race. When dogs reach a certain number of points they recieve titles for their achievements. (see Points and Titles section)

A Flyball Tournament ...
from a HUMAN'S point of view

It's Saturday morning, your alarm sounds ... It's 6am!

You drag yourself out of bed, grogily slip on a pair of pants and shoes, and reach for the leashes. Your dogs, hearing the leashes move, spring to life with noise and comotion as you sleepily try to unlatch their crates and hook the clip of the leash to their collars. You make sure you have baggies in your pocket (for the morning constitutional) and head for the door. The dogs pull you outside into the crips morning air, the sun hasn't yet broke the horizon. They make it to the first bit of grass they can find and the morning potty is complete. You are starting to wake up. You make it back inside and try to get the dogs fed a bit while you get dressed and ready to head to the Flyball Tournament for the day.

The dogs have been fed, you're dressed, time to pack the car ...

You load the dog crates, a cooler with food and drinks, your Flyball bag with all your little treats and extras, a chair to sit on (IF you get time) and any other little miscellaneous items you can think of. The dogs are going NUTs by this time, shreeking and barking and jumping up and down. They KNOW they're going somewhere FUN! They can't wait. They pretty much PLOW YOU OVER as you try to leash them up to take them to the car for the trip to the Flyball grounds. Finally, everyone and everything is loaded and you're off.

You get to the Flyball grounds and have to find your team. You located them easily enough, now to bring in your stuff. The items come in one by one, dogs and crates last since they are the most work. You've finally got everything in and set up, dogs settled in their crates ... One of your team members comes flying over ... "WE'RE UP, HURRY"!!! You grab the dog who's racing and speedily throw on it's racing harness while jogging to the race lanes. You enter the arena where the lanes are set up. Dogs are barking, screaming, jumping, foaming at the mouth with excitement. You dog wriggles trying to get free from your arms and onto the race lanes. You get a warm up or 2 with the team before the ref blows the whistle to get racing started. Your adrenalin starts pumping. You run maybe half a dozen times and whether you win or lose the race you're pumped. The dogs don't want to stop and are fighting the leash to get back in the arena as you head back to your team's crating area. You water the dogs and try to relax until the next race.

This chain of events happens over and over during the course of the 2-day tournament weekend. By Sunday evening, at the end of racing, you're tired ... the dogs are tired ... but you had FUN!!!

A Flyball Tournament ...
from a DOG's point of view

Mom/Dad's ringing thing is making noise ... must be time to get up.

OH MY GOSH, they've got the leash ... they've got the leash!!!  We get to go OUT!!!  Me first, Me first!!!

Ooooo I gotta pee, I gotta pee ... Oh, sniff that!  Ooooo I gotta pee. 

Oh look, we're gonna eat.

Whoa, where're they going?  What are they doing with that stuff?  Oh My Gosh, we're going BYE-BYE!!!  Oh Oh Oh, take me, take me!!!  

Going for a car ride, Going for a car ride ... Weeeeeeeeeeeee.

Where are we?  I can't see.  Smells good.  What's that sound?  Dogs barking, sounds like fun.  Let me out, let me out!!!

We're at a FLYBALL thing ... whooooohooooooo!  Let me go, Let me go!  I'll go get the ball.  Gotta get the ball, Gotta get the ball.  Let me go, let me GOOOOOO!!!

Whooooohooooo, get the ball ...

Whooooohooooo, get the ball ...

Whooooohooooo, get the ball ...

Whooooohooooo, get the ball ...

Whooooohooooo, get the ball ...

Whooooohooooo, get the ball ...

 WHAT!  That's it!  You're kidding me!  Let me go again, Pleeeeeeease!

Ahhh, water.  Can we go again now, can wee, huh, can we???

 

 

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