Around the 1970s, on American college campuses, a group of young people was playing with their frisbees.
On the sidelines, an observer watched this strange flying object. It was a dog, and as soon as the frisbee hit the ground, the dog would run to pick it up.
The campus students attempted to throw the frisbee to the dog, and to their great surprise, the observer became the star of the show.
And that’s how disc dog was born!
So, disc dog started to be discovered and practiced. Among many enthusiasts, Alex Stein stood out. He was a student at Ohio University, and he and his whippet named Ashley routinely entertained hundreds of people by showing off Ashley’s acrobatic jumps to catch the frisbee in mid-air.
Stein tried to break into Hollywood by contacting agents who could make him a TV star, but he wasn’t successful.
On August 5, 1974, he resorted to an extreme act. During a break in a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds, he entered the field to demonstrate his dog’s abilities. His performance received great applause and astonishment from the entire audience, but shortly after, he was arrested.
From that moment on, Alex Stein was called to perform with Ashley at numerous sporting events, and as his popularity grew, more and more dog owners started playing frisbee with their pets to emulate Ashley.
In 1975, the first disc dog competition took place, known as “Catch and Fetch,” organized as part of the Human Frisbee World Championships.
“Catch and Fetch” involved throwing the frisbee as far as possible to the dog multiple times. The clear winner was Ashley, who also secured the title in 1976 and 1977. In 1982, the original “Catch and Fetch” was renamed the “Ashley Whippet Invitational” (AWI) in honor of Ashley.
Disc dog spread around the world, evolving into a spectacular sport. Over time, freestyle became more successful, and even today, at every competition, you can witness innovative performances and evolutions.
Enjoy & Play Disc Dog
