MEET THE 2023 BOARD
GARY FOOTE
President
"Team All In"
Meet Gary (President) His wife Jen Hrebick and the family Jack, Seven, and Zoe
Zoe "Little Bit of Superfly". Zoe was born in March 2013 to Bella & Levi. This feisty little babe showed such spirit & tenacity that we knew she would be a natural at dock diving, a sport her new adopted brother Jack was just getting started in. Little did we know those gorgeous zombie eyes would lock onto a dock bumper & shoot her straight to the winner's circle! Zoe has quickly worked her way up through the Big Air divisional ranks & is consistently logging Senior jumps at just over a year old with the promise of more distance on the near horizon. She excels in Extreme Vertical where Zoe is reaching heights of 7 feet after only 2 months in this discipline, far surpassing most dogs with ten times her experience. Her stellar performance is earning her top rankings as an Iron Dog, which consists of dogs who can master all three of the dock diving disciplines. This little superstar is a shining example of meticulous breeding, canine athleticism, & the pure joy and love that makes her truly Labradorable.
Jack, a black Lab, was born in March 2009 to a family breeder. He grew up on the Bay and when his family moved to Virginia, they had to find a way to get him back into the water. That is how 4-year-old Jack started dock diving. Though his career is winding down now, Jack, who was a Novice and Junior jumper for years, achieved some impressive results.
Personal Best
Big Air – 20’8”
Speed Retrieve – 7.361 seconds
Extreme Vertical – 6’8”
Jack earned invitations to DockDogs World Championships in 2014,2015,2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. He placed 3rd in Extreme Vertical Cadet Division in 2014.
RACHAEL LEHRL
Vice President
"Springing Sharks"
Meet Rachael (Vice President) and the family.
Life with Raleigh (and now Duke lol)
Raleigh is a 6-year-old English Springer Spaniel who enjoys a good snack and long walks by the river. The loathes pawdicures, getting up early and when his momma leaves for work. He enjoys chasing dragonflies and spending his summers by the pool, hence Dockdogs! Raleigh is a Certified Good Boy.
Personal Best
Big Air 16'3"
Extreme Vertical 5;2"
Speed Retrieve 10.015 Seconds
Iron Dog 2,219.84
Duke is a 1-year-old English Springer Spaniel who enjoys chasing shadows and flushing bugs out of the grass. He loathes when you’re not paying attention to him and giving him snacks. He too loves swimming, and we knew Dockdogs would be the fit for him! This is his first season and as of 5/12/23 in Big Air. If you see us out and about, stop and say hi!
Personal Best
Big Air 9'7"
Meet Alex (Treasurer) and the family.
Oscar The Flying O
Juno The Jumpin' J (smiling down from the Rainbow Bridge)
Sasha The Screamin' S
We have loved Portuguese Water Dogs since 2008 when we adopted a big goofball named Ringo (who would not have made much of a Dockdog - he hated swimming!) & soon after sweet little puppy Juno. Ringo & Juno were best buds. When Ringo passed, Juno was heartbroken. So, their breeder recommended us to another breeder with a litter coming soon.
Oscar was born in November 2015 just hours after his mama-to-be crossed the finish line at Ironman Arizona. Though we didn't know it then, he was destined to become an Iron Dog. As a puppy his energy was kinetic, & toy driven. We knew we needed to find a "job" for this working dog. One day, playing at our neighbor's pool, Oscar ventured up onto the diving board & flung himself off with wild abandon.
After showing the video to a dog trainer friend, she told us about Dockdogs,
& team Alex and The Flying O was born.
We attended our first Chesapeake Dockdogs practice in 2018 and we were hooked! Oscar was a natural, consistently jumping high Senior jumps out of the gate with a beautiful air position & rock-solid sit-stay. Juno tagged along to events & practices, & eventually at the age of 11 decided to jump off the big dock, officially becoming The Jumpin J. She was a little novice plopper with a Nemo life vest, but it was lovely seeing her join in the fun. She even received two invites to Worlds! Sasha came along in 2021 and is gradually getting the hang of things with her signature screaming bark.
Oscar
Big Air 20.06
Speed 8.384
EV 5'0''
World's invites 2019 (BA, SR), 2020 (IronDog, BA, SR), 2021 (BA, SR, IronDog), 2022 (SR)
Other: 1# nationally ranked fastest Portuguese Water Dog in FastCAT - 2019, 2020, 2021 Winner of Best of Breed at FastCAT National Invitational 2020, 2021, 2022
Juno
Novice titled
World's invites BA and Legend 2020
Sasha - watch this space...just gettin' warmed up...
Angelina Brannigan
Secretary
"Team Blazin' Belgians" &
"Team Diving Divaz"
Meet Angelina (Secretary) Auntie of Nuri and Kane
Angelina fell in love with the DockDiving back in 2019 when she tagged along with her good friend Beth and Nuri to watch them compete. Along the way she met great people, gained awesome friends, fell in love with the community & the feeling of being around family (the members), that she decided to take her friend suggestion & try the sport. Needless to say, she is now an Auntie to not one, but TWO dogs, Kane (Michelle's D. dog) & Nuri (Beth's dog). Angelina is the only board member who does not have a dog! After losing the two she had for 17 years, she accidentally turned in to a crazy cat lady! However, she has never opted out on being a dog mom again, so look out!
Kane
Big Air Junior 15.07
Nuri
Big Air Novice 8.01
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TONY NEWLEN Board Of Director "Team On Point" (Owner of Alpha Acres) |
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MEGHAN CONNOLLY Board of Director "Team Choconuts" |
WAYNE AYERS
Board of Director
"Team Kanga Bean"
Team Kanga Bean ‘learned’ to Dock Dive with Frank Moraff at Maggie Malick Wine Caves in May 2019, and we have been CDD members ever since. Adie: A Black Labrador girl who loves everybody, is a ‘natural’ jumper - she never needed any coaxing to jump off the dock. She is part KANGAroo and part Mexican Jumping BEAN so that’s our team's name.
Adie is the first dog I have ever competed with and while Dock Diving is her favorite, she also loves C.A.T., Fast C.A.T., and Agility. At BANA #6, she discovered and fell in love with Dueling Dogs. In 2022 we competed in the World Championships in Dubuque, Iowa, placing 10th in Iron Dog Warrior. She has a Senior Title in Big Air (though she will occasionally throw in a master's jump to give others a chance in the Finals), an Express title in Speed Retrieve, Cadet in Extreme Vertical and Warrior in Iron Dog. Adie doesn’t jump the farthest or the highest and she definitely doesn’t swim/splash the fastest, but no one has more fun than she does in Dock Diving!