Watching the short-legged Corgi fur missile streak nearly the length of the 251-foot National Western Stock Show Events Center arena and catch a flying Frisbee with a leap into the air brought roars of approval and applause from the crowd at the “Xtreme Dogs” event Tuesday evening.
The event showcases the talent of many breeds and the skills of their handlers with demonstrations of speed, agility, and just plain fun. Dogs dance, perform acrobatic feats, race and please crowds at shows across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Deirani Collazo, head trainer at Extreme Dogs and her team of seven handlers, have been pleasing crowds at the National Western for seven years. Collazo has been doing agility shows since 2015 and began working with Extreme Dogs in 2018.
The National Western show is much bigger than most of the shows the company does, Collazo said, but they like to promote dog rescue and adoption — and the National Western provides a great venue for doing so.
“A lot of the dogs here are rescues, and we also like to show people what they can do with their dogs,” Collazo told The Denver Gazette. “They just don’t need to be pets. Owners can go out and play Frisbee, do agility and just have a blast with their best friends and have an amazing connection and bond with their dogs.”
Extreme Dogs, part of Canada’s Fusion Talent Group, tours the nation, promoting animal rescue and pet adoption.
“These high-flying, extreme sport, wickedly talented canine athletic superstar animals capture the hearts of hundreds of thousands coast to coast,” according to the group’s website. “The show features world champion trainers and the highest level of canine and star trainers touring.”
“Each trainer has their pack of dogs, and it varies from six to 10 to 15, and we all take care of them, and they’re part of our household,” said Collazo. “They live indoors in the house with us; they sleep with us. They’re not dogs that come and do the show and then are put in a barn or live outside.”
“They kick us out of our bed and beg off the table. They do all the things that everybody’s dogs do. They just have a little bit more energy than your average pet,” Collazo added.
A little bit more energy multiplied by the number of dogs the trainer keeps at home. Watching the energy they display at the show, it’s not hard to understand why the trainers are very athletic as well.
Collazo said the selection process isn’t random — happy, athletic dogs are the best candidates.
“Usually, we pick the dog most annoying out of the litter. No, I’m just kidding,” Collazo said. “But they’re not just dogs to us. They’re our kids, our family, and just part of everything we do. And we like to engage our bond — if that’s the word I want to say — or create a better bond with them. And we do it throughout these sports. Every time you train your dog and go out and do Frisbee or do tricks, it’s the moment that you’re engaging with the dog and building on that connection and beautiful thing that you just have with your dog.”
As to the breeds, Collazo said: “We have a little bit of everything here. You’ll see a lot of border Collies. We have Cooley; we have Dutch Shepherd; we have Corgi; we have Whippet, Australian Cattle Dogs and mutts.”
Collazo said that the safety and health of all their dogs is of paramount concern. If a dog isn’t excited to go out and perform, they are kept back. All the stunts are designed to protect their safety, including the seven-foot-high vault, where the handler catches the dog rather than let it land, which risks both immediate and long-term injury.
The National Western’s two shows are not a lot of work for the 20 or so dogs they brought with them, but longer runs require rotating dogs.
“When we do travel and do smaller shows for longer runs, we do rotate dogs a lot because they need rest and to recover and all that,” said Collazo. “Our dog’s safety and well-being is the most important thing for us.”
The group doesn’t live together, they are scattered all about.
“We have people here from the States, from Indiana,” Collazo said. “We have people from Canada. I’m from Puerto Rico and another trainer from Puerto Rico. We have a trainer that’s actually local from Denver.”
“For me, the most important part is to let people know that a lot of the dogs you’ll see here today will be rescues out of shelters and rescue groups and unwanted situations,” Collazo said. “And that it is our hope the next time that their families are looking to add a pet that they consider adopting.”
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