Orlando, FLA-- During these dog days of summer, it's only natural to share stories about dogs. But this story isn't about just any dog.
Riley is currently the third highest ranked dachshund in North America, jumping and racing his ways to big titles.
Kristine Boyd says she and Riley more deeply discovered his talents during the pandemic.
"I ended up unemployed last year and so we got to spend a lot of quality time at home in the pool and the more we were playing in the pool with his splashing and running and jumping, I thought- you know, he might be able to do this!” says Kristine. "Oh my gosh, my dog can fly! This is amazing. And he’s having so much fun and I’m having fun and after being cooped up for so long, it was really nice to get out and do something different and exciting!"
So what did Kristine do with these talents? Put them to work, of course! Although to be fair, for Riley- it’s more entertainment than effort. Kristine says their training is really all play time.
And all that play has really paid off. Riley is already a weiner racing champion and currently ranked 3rd in North America for daschund distance dock diving.
“He’s been doing it about two months. Not long at all! We just started doing this. I’m really excited about next year," says Kristine.
Riley is now headed to Georgia for the Southeast Regionals in diving, and in November he’ll represent Florida in the National Daschund Race.
And while the championship collection is nice, Kristine says even more so, it’s about finding something positive out of this pandemic.
"It really is about going out and having fun and your dog is having fun and just doing together," explains Kristine.
Truly, the paw-fect way to past the time.
Something also close to Kristine and her husband’s heart, a lot of the competitions benefit animal rescue and pet adoption causes.
At 9 inches tall, Riley’s personal best distance diving is 12 feet 4 inches. For racing, he can hit about 24 miles an hour.