Purcell dock diving event brings in cross-country canine competitors

Canine athletes from across the country are coming to Oklahoma to compete in a unique sport that's making a big splash.

On the Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Porch, we're talking to Brian and Sherry Landers, who will be a part of the upcoming dock diving competition, about what it entails.

Q: Can you walk us through what you guys do?

A: So dock diving, it's for the dogs, it's kind of like a track and field-style event. These dogs are running across a 40-foot dock, jumping into a pool to see how far they can jump. There's also a discipline that's called extreme vertical, that is like a high jump. So there's a bumper hanging off of an apparatus, and it's 8 feet out from the end of the dock. It goes straight up in height, the world record is 9 feet 2 inches, and on so some of these dogs can get really high. Then there's a discipline, it's called speed retrieve. They're at the 20-foot mark on the dock, and it's timed to see how fast they can run, jump, and swim to the end of the pool to grab a bumper. Then there's what's called dueling dogs. On Saturday evening, we'll be doing dueling dogs, and it's like the speed retrieve, except we put a barrier down the middle of the dock and the pool, and two dogs are racing at the same time.

Q: What are the stakes this weekend in Oklahoma? 

A: We're we're affiliated with Dock Dogs, they're a worldwide company. Our facility is designated this year is one of the qualifiers for the world championships. We'll have people from all over the nation that's coming in, they are trying to compete for their chance to go to the world championships this year. 

Q: How can we get there, and how much does it cost to go to the event?

A: It's free if you want to come out. It's kind of like a backyard style event, so bring your own chairs. If you want to bring a cooler, bring a cooler. We will have a food truck there. We'll have a snow cone truck there, and it's just a nice relaxed environment. You can see competitors from Wyoming, North Dakota, all over the place that are coming in to compete this weekend.

The event is on Saturday at 18177 199th Street in Purcell. Visit the event website to learn more.