K9 Keg Pull

We had such a fun weekend at the Sunriver Brewing K9 Keg pull! It's a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Approximately 160 dogs raced for medals and bragging rights.

Dogs were split into weight categories, and the goal was to do a straight run on snow while dragging a 'keg' as fast as possible. Owners could use pretty much any kind of motivation to get their dog down the course. The size 'keg' was determined by the dog's weight division. 10 lbs and under pulled a Fosters can (empty), and the vessels scaled all the way up to a full size keg (also empty).

My favorite part was watching the strategies for getting dogs down the course. Toys, treats, other dogs, cheering, etc. You could easily tell which dogs had been trained to pull. Most would start running and as soon as they felt the pull of the keg behind them they'd stop in their tracks, pause, look behind them, bark, try to eat the harness, etc. Luckily we've skijored with Thor so he has commands to pull and understands the feeling of that weight behind him. There was a bulldog who had to stop three times on the course for a snack break. Hilarious.

Our strategy was that my husband went to the finish line with a marrow bone (Thor's most prized treat) while I held on to Thor at the start line. As they were getting ready to let us run, I was hyping Thor up with his first pull command: "ready? Are you READY?". We say that over and over again and he gets super super excited to run. He was barking and squealing and wiggling. Then, when they said timers were ready, I let him go with the command "lets go!" That's his skijoring command to run and pull. He rocketed down the course, finishing in 5.88 seconds.

My second favorite part of the day was when the races were over and they let the dogs play on the snow like an impromptu dog park. I was really impressed with the dogs and people there - over 160 dogs and I didn't see a single bad encounter or eyebrow raising behavior.

In the end, Thor placed 6th in his weight division of about 70 dogs. But I realized I made a mistake when registering. I didn't know the weight divisions, and I estimated his weight at 70 lbs when registering. He's probably closer to 73 lbs. Turns out that 51-70 was the division that was most competitive - the most dogs and the fastest dogs. If he had been in his accurate division he would have medaled in 3rd place! I'll make sure to register accurately next year.

Overall it was such a fun day! Sun out, beer was flowing, dogs were happy, and Thor is a big winner in my heart. Can't wait to train for next year and take home a medal. :)

I have a few shots off my phone, and there were professionals shooting the event as well. One published her album on Facebook and 3 of the 14 photos featured Thor and his crazy running faces.

A yellow lab (not Thor) lined up ready to run

Attachment 7269

Impromptu dog park on the snow after the race

Attachment 7270

Lined up and ready to run!

Attachment 7271

Our crazy man booking it down the snow!

Attachment 7272

Thor is a man of many talents!

You Go Thor, always wanted to put Hemi in something like that it just never appears around here.

Wow look at him go. That looks like too much fun

What a fun time! Thor is our winner no matter what.

How fun is that!!! Go Thor!
I would love to do that with my gurls!