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closeLEAPIN' LABS
Kristin Baird uncovers passion of training dogs
Marques Hunter
of the Gateway
Dogs have always been by Kristin Baird’s side. But in the past five years, her chocolate Labradors have become her teammates. Baird plays fetch with her three labs with a competitive twist. While one is more of a pheasant tracker during hunting season, the other two have dueling strengths in the sport of dock jumping.
DockDogs is a sport where dogs jump into a pool. The distance is measured, and the dog that jumps the farthest wins.
And since most dogs love the water, it provides great physical activity and outside recreation.
It’s also opened a door to a different lifestyle.
Sometimes Baird’s dogs skillfully catch the toy in the air after they launch off the dock and splash into the water. Since late 2004, however, she’s worked to maximize their ability to leap either vertically or horizontally.
Baird’s oldest dog, Henna, placed second in an open senior division competition during a sportsman’s show at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. Henna, a rookie, leaped 12 feet.
The attempt, while short in distance, was an eye-opening experience and an ever-changing experiment.
“That was the start of amazing things,” Baird said. “But I had no idea what I was doing.”
Since then, Baird has dedicated much of her time to teach her pets to become elite dock jumpers. It’s essentially become a full-time job.
Baird works with her dogs every day, and she’s also a CT-scan technician for a Tacoma hospital, hammering out double shifts. One of her passions is to help the developing DockDogs sport in the Puget Sound.
In January, Baird was selected as one of three people to assist DockDogs in the western region. She helps coordinate leadership conferences for DockDog enthusiasts, and she helps market the events.
Mostly, she’s a lead trainer and helps others become better competitors for Puget Sound Dock Dogs.
Buddy, Baird’s youngest chocolate Lab, was a national champion in the Big Air Super Elite division, the event in which dogs try to jump as far out from the dock as possible.
With more than 800 other dogs, Buddy set a Northwest regional record during the competition in Richfield, Wisc., in August 2008 with a lifetime-best 26 feet, 2 inches. The world record is 28-10.
As a puppy at 14 months, Buddy had behavioral problems. Baird said he grew out of them once she gave him the new activity.
Now Buddy jumps competitively, and he also holds the Oregon state record with a best extreme vertical leap of 7-2.
Buddy is the most athletic of the three, although Henna won a silver medal in the DockDogs 2007 national championships in the extreme vertical cadet division at 5-10.
Baird is preparing Buddy for a competition in April at the Puyallup Fairgrounds.
A Key Peninsula resident since September, Baird grew up in Gig Harbor and has been married for 19 years. She has a daughter who attends Peninsula High School.
Baird relocated to the Gig Harbor area to a much larger piece of property in order to gain more room for her dogs.
Sadly, her hunting dog, Mossy, was diagnosed with cancer this month. Henna underwent surgery due to cancer last week but is expected to make a full recovery.
For a number of years, Baird has contributed to K9 cancer research through the Chase Away K9 Cancer foundation, which helps to bring awareness and responsible dog ownership.
Baird has been the vice president of Puget Sound DockDogs for the past three years, and she previously served on the board of directors.