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Photograph courtesy of Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge
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Champions from all over the country will slalom between weave poles, dive off docks, and more in Gray Summit on October 5 and 6, competing in the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge National Championships. At press time, only two local athletes had qualified: Baxter the Flying Dock Dog and Ruby, a pit bull whose sport is freestyle flying disc. We caught up with Ruby’s coach, Gray Summit resident Jonathan Offi, about Ruby’s regimen before the finals.
Favorite Music: “Mama Do the Hump” by Rizzle Kicks.
Training Regimen: Running uphill to fetch a tennis ball, swimming, dog agility.
Strongest Skill: The back stall, balancing on Offi’s back and walking up toward his neck.
Qualifying Match: The Central Regionals in Denver—where pit bulls are banned. Ruby needed a special permit to enter.
Preparation for the Event: Sniffing the field.
Attitude Toward Winning: Indifferent. She only gets upset when she can tell Offi’s frustrated with his throws.
Routine: Ruby vaults, using Offi’s body as a catapult to jump and catch the Frisbee; flips so he can catch her in midair; and stands on her hind legs to give him…five?
Charity Work: Hospital and elementary-school visits.
Childhood Home: A shelter for 2 ½ years, where she was returned twice because she had “too much energy.”
Early Sign of Potential: “She was crazy for the ball.”
Reason for Going Pro: “People in the park were always really, really impressed.”
WEB EXCLUSIVE: WATCH RUBY IN ACTION.
