Canine athletes fly high at 23rd Annual Bark in the Park

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Dogs of all kinds leaped to the sky catching flying discs at the 23rd Annual Bark in the Park Skyhoundz Hyperflite Canine Disc Championships at Wrightsville Beach Park Saturday.

Dogs were scored on the distance and accuracy of their catches. Mid-air catches were worth extra points.

Spectators also voted on the Best Dressed Dog, Best Dressed Team, and Dog Displaying the Most Personality.

Wrightsville Beach Recreation Program Supervisor Katie Ryan says they had about 20-30 dogs competing.

“Some of them are amazing,” Ryan said. “They can jump so high and catch it quite the distance so it’s a really fun event. It’s a free event for everyone, competitors and spectators. We love it.”

Patrick Smith brought his dog Bear to compete for the first time. Bear is a 7-month-old chocolate lab who had no problem catching a disc.

Smith says he only started training Bear about a month ago.

“We are just having fun,” Smith said. “It’s his first one. Next year we will win it all.”

Also, dogs are now welcomed back to the beach strand in Wrightsville Beach as the summertime ban on pets on the beach ends.