Success Is Learned. Success Is Practiced. And Then It Is Shared.
words and pictures by Anna Cooke headline is a quote by Sparky Anderson.
How does a retired major league baseball player go from pitching fastballs to tossing toys to dogs running off a dock? “I make money by playing again,” said Milt Wilcox. His 16-year career included a 1984 World Series ring with the Detroit Tigers. Now Milt owns and operates Ultimate Air Dogs with his son Brian. Wilcox grew up with dogs. Throughout his professional baseball career, with all the traveling, he never had a dog. As soon
other dog sports, anyone can come out and try it with their dog. Milt and his crew get to know the folks competing at their shows. They will answer questions and help teach your dog how to jump.
UAD is a series, where owners have their dogs compete in
various divisions: Splash (long distances), Catch it (distance is judged but the dog must catch the bumper) and Fetch it (vertical height and distance is measured).
During the dock jumping competition at Woofstock in Carrollwood this past October, Charlie, an 11-year-old Pomeranian mix, jumped 12 feet off the dock to retrieve the bumper. Charlie is also a therapy dog.
as her retired in 1986, Milt adopted a black Labrador Retriever mix. He named the dog Sparky Anderson, his manager in Cincinnati and Detroit. Some time in 2002, while vacationing at his summer lake
cottage, Milt was watching the Great Outdoor Games on ESPN that showcased dogs, mostly black Labradors, competing in dock diving. Sparky had been jumping off their dock the entire vaca- tion and Milt thought, “I think my dog can do that.” Soon Milt and Sparky were competing across the country.
Sparky competed in three Great Outdoor Games, one Purina Incredible Dog Challenge Nationals and a Super Retriever Series Crown Championship. He became the first dog to compete in all three in one season. The dog put them both in the spotlight again. They appeared on Good Morning America and EPSN’s Cold Pizza. Sparky even appeared on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. Milt loved the sport so much, he founded Ultimate Air Dogs
(UAD) in 2005. Only about five dogs were competing during shows at the time. Now, based out of Jacksonville, UAD is nation- ally-known, putting on shows all over the country. While the sport mostly featured Labradors in its infancy, any dog can now compete. It’s one of the safest sports for dogs, with no real pres- sure on the joints as the dogs land in the water. There is no train- ing required to participate in the Ultimate Air Dog shows, which makes it really popular with the crowds wherever they go. Unlike
78 THE NEW BARKER Sparky died in 2012 at age 11. It was tough on the family,
especially Milt. “He was a great dog. Without him, there would- n’t be any Ultimate Air Dogs. I want more people to be able to enjoy having fun with their dogs the way Sparky and I did,” said Milt. We met him in Tampa during the third annual Woofstock, hosted by
TampaPets.org in October. Upbeat and happy to talk about the sport and dogs, Milt seemed in his element during the day’s event. “With baseball, there was a lot that went into preparing to pitch in a game. But, it wasn’t really work because it
Milt Wilcox, Ultimate Air Dogs. Photograph from BattleCreek Enquirer.
was fun, and the end result is the same with dock jumping. After all the miles we travel, the set-ups and breakdowns, I have fun with the dogs and meeting people, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Check out
UltimateAirDogs.com SAVE THIS DATE: March 11, 2017 Spring Woofstock. Check
TampaPets.org for updates. For vendor information email
cory@TampaPets.org
www.TheNewBarker.com
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