Wags for Wishes (July 11-13)

This year's Wags for Wishes will be held at the Otay Ranch Town Center on July 11-13 starting at 9:00 am each day (see below for more information). This event is the largest of its kind in the West Coast and it's a great place to go to see all the various dog sports. The event benefits the San Diego Chapter of Make a Wish Foundation. Admission and parking are free!

If you've never seen any of the dog sports, you'll be in for a treat. There will be Agility, Flyball, Canine Good Citizen, Disc, Field Lure, Herding, Sprint Racing, Obedience and Splash Dog trials. There will also be Junior Handling in some of these events.

Flyball and Disc Dog will be held at the nearby Otay Ranch High School since these 2 events require lots of grass. The high school is about 2 miles from the main event location. I highly recommend these 2 very entertaining events. The Disc Dog competition is amazing to watch! These owners and their dogs are so athletic and creative, I'm sure you'll enjoy watching some of them perform. As for Flyball, it's one of the noisest dog competitions around. I used to practice with Sydney a long time ago on a team, that is before she was diagnose with hip dysplasia, and it was always high energy, even at practice. You can watch this short Flyball Overview at SignOnSanDiego.com. There are some really fast teams in San Diego so don't blink or you might miss the race!

We're planning on going early Sunday morning with Merlin. I'm hoping to catch some Agility, Herding, Splash Dog, and Obedience. Maybe pop over to the high school if we're not too tired. Sydney and Cole get to stay at home since neither of them enjoy these kind of outings. I'm hoping that Merlin will take to Agility and Rally Obedience as he gets older. It's not necessarily to compete but rather to continue his training and building the bond between him and us. Oh yeah, and to provide him a *positive* release of his energy (wink, wink). He's showing good drive, fearlessness and focus as a puppy (all of 5 months!) but we'll see where his interest is when he's older. And whether his mommy will be able to keep up!

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, stop by the Wags for Wishes. It's for a great cause and I promise you'll find at least one event that you'll enjoy watching. If you've been considering trying out for some of these events, there will be workshops and try-outs available. Check the individual competition for more informaiton. There will also be vendors, a doggy fashion show, pet adoption, restaurants, and entertainment. Remember no off-leash unless you're competing (no brainer). There will be cooling pools, water bowls, and misters provided at the event. Although there are not a lot of natural shaded areas, the event coordinators will be creating shaded areas. If you has an umbrella (like those portable ones you can stake into the ground), take it with you to keep the pooches cool cuz it's going to be hot and I don't know how close those shaded areas will be to the events and how crowded they will be. Bring sunscreen for yourself and the kids.

Wags for Wishes 2008
Where: Otay Ranch Town Center, 2015 Olympic Parkway, Chula Vista
Time: July 11-13, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm each day
FREE admissions and parking!!

FAQs about Wags to Wishes