The 2020 Last Call Before Fall results are in – who won?
While dog sports were put on hold for much of this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NADD and the dock diving world are back holding events like the 2020 Last Call Before Fall.
The event, which was hosted by Southtown K9 in Rock Falls, Illinois, with the Sunday evening finals streamed live on AKC.TV, saw dogs learn and give valiant attempts, no matter the distance they leapt.
This competition was held in northwest Illinois, so for the following competitors assume they are from the Land of Lincoln unless otherwise stated.
For more on how dock diving works, see our explanatory guide here.
Open Novice
In the Last Call Before Fall Open Novice division, which runs up to 9 feet 11 inches, the winning dog was Belle, a 7-year-old All-American Dog (AAD, mixed breed) from McConnell who went 9 feet 6 inches on her longer of the two jumps.
Caddie, a year-old Brittany from West Chicago, also went 9 feet 6 inches on her longer jump, but since she was still learning, her first jump was from the ramp instead of the dock, so Belle’s first jump of 9 feet even gave her the tiebreak.
In third was Kazi, a year-old Lab from Chillicothe who went 8 feet 6 inches.
Also competing were an unknown dog from Duluth, Minnesota (7’3″), and Wick, a 2-year-old Border Collie (BC) from Peoria (5’3”)
Open Junior
In the Last Call Before Fall Open Junior division, which runs from 10 feet even to 14 feet 11 inches, the winning dog was Tempo, a 4-year-old Australian Shepherd from St Charles. In the finals of her first competition, Tempo sailed 14 feet 6 inches to claim the crown.
8-year-old Lab Meadow, from West Peoria, earned second with a jump of 13 feet 9 inches, while Whiskey, an 8-year-old brown BC from McConnell who went 12 feet 3 inches.
Also competing in this division were Lindy Lou the Lab (Rock Falls, 11’9′), Creek the German Wirehaired Pointer (Des Plaines, 10’6″), and NADD Hall of Famer Bonzai, a 13-year-old Border Terrier (11′ 0″).
Open Senior
In the Open Senior division, which runs from 15 feet even to 19 feet 11 inches, the winning dog was Rasp, a 3-year-old Dutch Shepherd from Taylor Falls, Minnesota, who went 20 feet even.
Rounding out the podium were Brink, a 3-year-old AAD from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at 19 feet 9 inches and Tesla, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, at 18 feet 3 inches.
Others competing were Trump the Brittany (West Chicago, 16’0″) and Cabela the Lab (West Peoria, 15’6″). Cabela took an extra unjudged jump in the middle of his splash because he was having so much fun.
Open Master
In the Open Master division, which runs from 20 feet even to 23 feet 11 inches, the winning dog was Jane, a 7-year-old Malinois from Moline at 23 feet 9 inches. On her first jump, she caught her toy in mid-air while still flying 22 feet 6 inches.
In the runner-up spot was Jordy, a 5-year-old Rottweiler from Broomfield, who went 23 feet even. In third was Onyx, a 5-year-old Lab from Milledgeville, who went 22 feet 3 inches.
Others competing were Jordan the Lab from North Pekin (20’3″) and Luna the Malinois from Moline (19’9″).
Open Elite
In the Last Call Before Fall Open Elite division, which runs from 24 feet even and up, there was plenty of drama. Orrie, a 6-year-old black Lab from Rockford, went 27 feet even and 26 feet 9 inches in his splash, only to be matched right afterward by Tucker, a 4-year-old chocolate Lab from Davenport, Iowa, who posted the exact same distances.
This led to a jump-off between the two, with Orrie going first at 27 feet 6 inches, while Tucker came up six inches short, settling for second.
In third was Brody, a silver Lab from Germantown, Wisconsin, who went 26 feet 3 inches.
Also competing were Logan the Border Collie (Naperville, 25’9″) and Connor the Malinois (Stevens Point, WI 25’6″).
The NADD Regional Championships will be held within the next several months, and these distances will also set the National Championship rankings due to coronavirus restrictions. The NADD National Championship was supposed to be held as a companion event to the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canine in Orlando in December.