They’re making fetch happen!
An early-morning frisbee-throwing contest for humans and their canine companions will determine the borough’s top dog when it kicks off next month. But the K9 Frisbee Toss and Catch is more than a chance to see how your fuzzy friend’s frisbee skills stack up to the other tail-waggin’ residents of Brooklyn — it can also bring you and your pooch closer together, according to the founder of the Brooklyn K9 Frisbee Club.
“With my dog, I feel like our bond has gotten a lot better,” said Navin Sivakumar. “When we are out and about, she pays far more attention to me and seems happier.”
The Club will open the “Summer Down Under” season on Feb. 5 at 8 am at the Prospect Park Grecian Shelter. For five wintry weeks, dogs and their people will compete each Wednesday to complete the most passes and returns in 60 seconds, with longer throws grabbing higher points.
Scores are submitted to the K9 Frisbee Toss and Catch League, a worldwide registry that collects rankings from more than 250 clubs in 18 countries. The League allows Brooklynites to not only compete locally, as the state’s only registered club but on the international stage.
Sivakumar said that, aside from practicing your own throwing, the key to success is not just sparking excitement in your pup, but also convincing them to relinquish the frisbee.
“You want to get your dog excited about playing with their toy and be like ‘I like this frisbee a lot,’” Sivakumar said. “But then you have to teach them to give it back to you.”
New person-and-dog frisbee teams are welcome to participate, Sivakumar said, and the club’s dog-loving members will help teach even the oldest pooch some new tricks.
“It is very beginner-friendly,” he said. “Actually, it is very everybody-friendly.”
The League holds five five-week frisbee seasons throughout the year — Summer, Fall, Winter, Summer Down Under, and Spring.
K9 Frisbee Toss and Catch at the Prospect Park Grecian Shelter, also known as the Peristyle (enter on Parkside Avenue between Park Circle and Parade Place in Prospect Park South, tossandfetch.com). Feb. 5–March 4, Wednesdays at 8 am. $20 for the season.
