After Piper received a National Championship invite in dock diving, she still needed to complete nine more jumps to qualify to accept her bid. Luckily, Gold Country Pet Resort added a few more splashes to their schedule so we were able to finish her season in Ione. Here’s how her final splashes of the 2017-2018 season went:

• Jumped 14′ and 14’3″ on 9/8, so she earned her first title (Dock Junior). Yay!
• Jumped 15′, 16′, 14’8″, and 15’6″ on 10/6, which means she jumped a new personal best.
• Jumped 15′, 15’6″, and 11’9″ on 10/7, so she earned her second title (Dock Senior). She also earned second place in the Gold Country Pet Resort end-of-year championship tournament in the Senior Division.

Overall season results: Two titles, a National Championship invite, and a 2nd place tournament finish. The bad news? Her improved distances affected her season average, which moved her up out of the junior division for Nationals and into the senior division (the very, very bottom of the senior division).

Because of this change, we decided not to fly her to Florida for Nationals. If they were in driving distance, sure, we’d go just to have the experience. However, the complexity of flying a dog cross-country was already daunting. Flying a dog cross-country to come in last place in her division? No thanks.

Now, we’re focused on next season’s goals. Here they are:

• Earn an Air Retrieve title.
• Earn a Master Division Distance Jump title.
• Participate in a Splash Dogs and/or Jackpot Jumpers event.

Can’t wait to see what next season holds for Piper!