While confined to a shelter, Vulcha the German Shepherd never imagined in his doggie dreams the leaps and bounds in his future.
But Wednesday he was flying for a Frisbee over a pool of water in front of a canine-loving crowd at the San Diego County Fair.
Dogs of different breeds made their acrobatic debut in the Chevrolet Livestock Area, a canopy-covered outdoor space near the animal barns. “Extreme Dogs” can be seen at 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. through Sunday, June 23.
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But they had one thing in common: All come from animal shelters.
Andrea Rigler of St. Louis packs up a trailer carrying turf and a pool and travels to state fairs with 20 dogs — 11 of them her own.
“Our message is: Take a dog from a shelter and they can do extraordinary things,” Rigler said after the 3 p.m. show.
The four-legged athletes range in age from 1 to 13 years old, and breeds include border collies, German Shepherds and Dachshunds.
Rigler said that while some dogs perform in all portions of the show — tricks, Frisbee catching and diving – trainers focus on what the dogs love to do.
The Rigler dogs have performed at fairs for the past three years. She enjoys the journey.
“I love to travel around and see new places,” she said.
Rigler hopes her dog show can be there for the entire run of the fair next year.
