All-Star dogs show off athletic skill

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Doc Holliday and Sherlock Holmes put on quite a show Friday afternoon in Charles City.

No, there weren’t a private detective and gunslinger from the Old West duking it out at Central Park during Fourth of July weekend.

But there was plenty of excitement created by a blue heeler and border collie that each went by those names and strutted their stuff in front of an enthusiastic audience.

The athletic animals were all part of an all-star dog stunt show that was a part of Charles City’s Fourth of July festivities.

Five different dogs wowed the audience by performing tricks of their own.

Rosey, a corgi cattle dog mix, catapulted herself high into the air to catch flying discs. Tobey, another cattle dog mix breed, performed his high jump routine. Sherlock Holmes, the border collie, bested Doc Holliday by little over a second in the agility race. Each well-trained canine had to maneuver through an obstacle course of poles, tunnels and a large loop. Doc Holliday even jumped rope with a contestant from the crowd that had assembled to witness the athletic endeavors.

Abby Cline and her assistant worked with the dogs to perform the tricks. She said all dogs in the shows have been adopted from rescues or shelters. The group’s mission is to promote the importance of pet adoption, spay and neutering, as well as to encourage people to be responsible pet owners.

The all-star dogs put on two shows on Friday and three on Saturday. Zoetis and Quality Auto were sponsors of the show.