explosions, big-time fun. hope you had it, as well. thanks for joining us here at the lucas oil pro pulling league. for rob klepper and leslie mears, i'm ken stout. this has been a presentation of espn, a worldwide leader in sports. >> the crowds have gathered. the stage is set. the contest will soon begin. over 50 dog competitors and their human handlers have gathered here in the heartland, indianapolis, indiana, to run, jump, and weave themselves one step closer to a bid for the national championships in st. louis. which dogs will be left standing? who will be crowned champions on this day? we'll find out, coming up next on the "purina incredible dog challenge." [applause] and welcome, everybody. a great crowd on hand here in indianapolis. the great indiana state fair going on, and we're going to get right to it. i'm trace worthington, alongside shellene cockrell,

and this is the large dog agility competition. our first competitors out of the gate-- razzle is the dog, don st. croix is the handler. and shellene, we're off to a great competition here with many, many big names in the house. >> yes, indeed. in fact, starting off, setting the bar right now, our returning national champion from the 2008 i.d.c. finals in st. louis. >> let's go! let's go! let's go! come on! let's go! >> razzle and don working the course nicely, getting through here very quick. they're going to set the bar high, i think, trace. >> you bet, and it's all about a clean run with no faults. >> that's right, and sometimes when you're pressing for the speed, that's when mistakes can happen. but so far, they are doing a great job. later on in large dog agility, we're going to see don's wife, ginsey, and her dog star. >> all right, shellene. nice smooth run there by razzle. no signs of any faults. that means no additional time is added to the time--35.45. so that is a quick run.

and that will be the mark to beat. >> one of the toughest challenges on this course, trace, is coming out of the weave poles. the dog is looking at the jump right in front of him, but he has to be directed to the other jump, and then a 180-degee switchback. of course, the teeter-totter always tough, because it's the only obstacle that moves for the dogs, but they got through here fast and clean. >> weave! go! weave! catch it! whoo! >> whoo! >> all right. and just a few miles north of downtown indianapolis is the indianapolis state fair. amongst one of the largest attractions, the "purina incredible dog challenge." hello, everybody, and welcome. my name is trace worthington. i'm joined by shellene cockrell. an intense day of competition

today, because if you do well here, you can go to the national championship finals, shellene. so today you have to get it done. >> that's right. we have lots of events with the top dogs from this region. we've already seen action here on the agility course. and the rest of our large dog competitors are set and ready to go. you're also going to see a few crossovers today from large dog agility into the incredible 60-weave-pole challenge, which makes sense, since our agility competitors learn the weave-pole apparatus at 12. now it's just extended to 60, and speed, focus, and determination are going to be the key in finding out who the head-to-head winner will be. >> yeah, absolutely. and speaking of determination, people are determined to get into the incredible diving dog competition. i mean, there was a huge line outside. these people just wanted to qualify for the competition. and amongst those people trying to qualify are some big names in the sport. >> yes, indeed. more qualifiers than i've ever seen trying to get in. we have 7 invitees amongst those regional and national winners in the i.d.c. circuit, including kody, seven, and reagan.

and also amongst our 3 qualifiers, we have some regional winners as well. so top dogs. it's going to be a huge competition in diving dog. >> all right. so things are brewing up in the incredible diving dog competition. let's continue with the large dog competition. take us through that a little bit. >> well, the large dogs on the agility course, it usually looks like they know where they're going, but they don't. it's actually up to their handlers to direct them through the course. one thing to notice-- the height of the jumps and the height of the tire are set to the height of the dog, which is measured at their withers, or the top of their shoulder blades. so remember, if mistakes are made, like a bar being knocked down, then time penalties are assessed to the overall time. >> all right. we saw razzle set the pace--35.45. that is the time to beat. as page gets ready to take to the large dog agility course. eva mcgraw is the handler. >> and page is a 7-year-old border collie. in fact, all of our competitors here today in large dog agility are border collies. they don't have to be,

but this is a breed that excels at this event because of their drive and their focus and their need to do a job and be out there with their handler working. >> hence the name "agility" or the word "agility." they are quick, they are fast, and they're super-agile, as you see a clean run through the weave poles right there. >> not clean there. missing-- oh, this is going to cost them huge--5 points for missing the tunnel, and then going and touching the incorrect obstacle added another 10. so 15 seconds added onto their time. that's going to hurt. >> one second per one fault point. so remember, it is the best of 2 in this competition. so maybe not the best run first round, but they get another shot at it. but pretty clean right now as they come through the finish, and that's what they will settle with. those 15 fault points added to their 38.48-second run, shellene. >> well, trace, they made it through the 180-degree turn no problem, but then page just didn't see eva. instead, she heads over to the a-frame first. all of this ends up costing them

15 seconds added onto their time, but luckily, eva was able to get page back on track. >> all right. here's young megan finlay, a senior in high school. she's 17 years old. she started doing agility when she was only 9 years old. very strong in the 60-weave-pole head-to-head competition. haven't really had big results in agility, but they're definitely getting there. >> that's right. megan and pistol definitely competitors to watch in this sport. >> ooh. >> pistol looking at megan there, knocked the bar. 5 seconds added on. and another 10 there. missed a pole. and she didn't go back and correct it. so that's actually going to cost them 20 seconds more added onto their time. >> wow. so the faults and seconds racking up, as young megan finlay and her dog pistol come through in this large dog agility competition. remember, it is the best of 2 that counts. so again, they'll get another shot. >> that's right. experience does matter out here on the course, and of course the teamwork with your dog, but megan loves doing this, and that's what matters. >> yeah. absolutely, shellene. all the competitors out here

have a great time, along with the spectators here in indiana having a good time. you add the 30 fault points, which is 30 seconds, shellene, which means it's a pretty high time for round number one. >> first mistake, over this jump. pistol is looking back at megan. her positioning was not right on the course. so she knocks the bar. trying to get through the weave poles. pulls out early, and megan doesn't direct her back to correct that. so that cost them huge. >> puts them into third place, as our next competitor comes out, ready to go-- benny and janet wagner, the trainer. 35.45 is the time to beat. and here we go. benny on course. [cheering] >> now usually the obstacles are all set up in different order on the course. but for the first time, this is the exact same layout as we saw at the san diego western regionals of the i.d.c. earlier this year. the fastest dog, the winner in san diego, had a 34.92.

that went to sprint, a flat-coated retriever, not a border collie. >> all border collies today, as--oh, benny. ooh, 5 faults. i was just saying it was a clean run till there. >> didn't quite get up high enough, knocked that bar. [cheering and applause] >> wow. so benny comes through, and benny's time--36.82. you add 5 seconds to that, 41.82 is the time. >> coming out of the weaves, directing that tight turn into the jump. just a little too tight. benny not able to get up, hitting the pole with the front paws. >> our final competitor in run number one. remember, they will have another round of large dog agility to determine our winner. but here we go-- star and ginsey st. croix. >> now remember, this is a husband-wife duel-off. our first competitor, razzle, was run by don st. croix, who holds the lead right now. so can his wife, ginsey, and star take the first place from them? >> star, come, come, come.

star. bottom. ok. follow me. >> they're running clean and steady, fast, but you can see that she's not really pushing her too much, i don't think, not wanting to have any mistakes. >> it does take patience, and a lot of pressure, especially with all the audience out there cheering and yelling. a lot of pressure on these competitors, as star comes through with 0 faults, 33.1. and there is your new leader. >> ha ha. so ginsey knocks her husband and razzle out of the lead. ginsey and star coming through clean and steady, making all the turns, the switchbacks, everything exactly the way it should be out here on the course. >> so star coming in, the final competitor in round number one of the large dog agility competition. sitting in third is benny. razzle in the number 2 spot. but star shining in the number-one position after round number one.

and round number 2 of large dog agility is next. we're just getting started. the 60-weave-pole head-to-head competition is coming your way. and then we'll cap the show off with a crowd favorite. it's incredible diving dogs here from indiana.

>> the 2009 "purina incredible dog challenge" on espn, brought to you by purina. your pet, our passion. and by petcentric.com. play like a pet. the festivities commence here at the eastern regional

championships for the "purina incredible dog challenge." the top dogs, by the way, head to the national championships. that'll be at purina farms in st. louis, and everybody enjoying the east coast's top dogs as we continue with the large dog agility competition. star in the number-one spot. shellene, that is a low time-- 33.10. so that is going to be a tough time to beat. don st. croix and razzle tee it up for run number 2, currently in second place. let's see if they can pull it off here. now is the time. >> wanting to knock his wife, ginsey, and her dog star out of the leader position. so they're going to be going for broke here, trace. they have a fast time to begin with, no faults. it's just all about pressing up the speed now. >> it's all about bragging rights at the house. >> ha ha. that is true, too. now, don says razzle has very tight turns,

works really hard to do the right thing, so it makes it easy for him to get out there on the course and just direct, because razzle will do his job. and he's doing it well right now. >> razzle, by the way, an active cattle dog. >> again, a herding breed, common for border collies. want a job, and right now his job is out here on the agility course, and they're going to have a quick time. >> wow. don says razzle has the ability to make very tight turns. very tight turns indeed for run number 2. zero faults, 34.86. >> so not enough to knock his wife and star out of the leader position. but a very, very nice run. tight lines going from obstacle to obstacle, what shaves off fractions of time. no problem on that teeter-totter, which moves, and then out of the blind tunnel and into the finish like pros. >> all right. here's eva mcgraw and page again, currently in the fourth-place spot. >> stay. now you stay. >> we'll see if they can

get it done. >> go! touch! >> of course, all of these competitors now know what problems they had to begin with. they're going to work to correct those and to try and increase the speed of their run. now, right here is where they had problems in their first run. oh, no problem this time. very nice. >> nice and smooth. uh-oh. 10 fault points. jumped off the contact a little early. >> that's right. they have to touch that yellow contact zone when they exit the dog walk, the a-frame, and the teeter-totter here, or those 10 seconds are added to their time. [applause] >> all right. so page coming through run number 2, and a 10-second improvement, but remains in fourth here with that 43.22-second time. >> when you're pushing for the speed, this is a very common mistake that happens. the dog does not stop, just jumps off, not touching that yellow contact, which is where it costs them. going fast and not running through the contact can be the problem. >> megan finlay and pistol

up next. the high-school senior hoping to see her dog pistol win this competition, and if they do, well, they'll head to the national championships. >> which would be very exciting for her. she's been there before, in the 60-weave-poles with this dog. but as we said, not in agility. had some problem in the first run, so let's see what happens right here coming into the jumps. clean this time. pistol still looking back at megan but did not knock the bar. through the weaves clean. she's correcting her problems. ooh, a little misdirect there, but back on course. nicely done. walking through that contact to make sure they don't get the fault points on those contact zones. >> specializing in the weave. no problem through there. clean run so far, shellene. definitely an improvement after run number one. >> yes indeed. up to the final-- oh! one bar down. >> and right there-- >> 5 seconds added. almost clean.

>> and just the second to the last obstacle they knocked down, but what a huge improvement, shellene. only 5 seconds added on. a 30-second improvement after run number one. >> the run-out here through the end, pistol looking back at megan. that causes the back legs not to clear that bar. it's where the handler is that directs them through the course. >> janet wagner and benny focused on this course for their second run. and once again, the time to beat, 33.10 by star. >> so can benny and janet do it? this is the last dog. oop. right there i think it's over, trace. they missed that yellow contact zone. 10 seconds added to their time. i think this is star's event. >> well, they're still charging hard out here. benny still wants to come through with a good time. a top-3 finish is always important and fun for the dog and the handler. >> definitely. so now she's just going to go for it through the rest of this course,

trying to improve on their own time, even though they're not going to take the leader's spot away. [applause] >> a pretty solid run-through, even though there was 10 seconds added on from those faults, shellene. run 2, 34.98. 44.98 will be the total. that keeps her in third place with the time from their first run at 41.82. the fault right there, trying to run through that contact, jumping off too early. >> ginsey st. croix and star now. this is literally a victory lap, but it's always important for these guys to stay focused and just try to get the fastest time possible, maybe in preparation for the national championships. this is a good trial run for star. so star has already won this event, but now it's star versus star, so to speak. >> that's right. first-run time, 33.10. so now it's just time to see if she can outdo herself here. ginsey, i think, being able to relax a little bit out there.

of course, star doesn't know the difference. she's going for it. [cheering] they really work nicely together out there. all about teamwork. you are hardly hearing any verbal communication. they just know what's happening. >> they all work differently, and what separates star from the rest is the top of the podium, as they come through actually with an improvement on run number 2--32.25. >> nicely done. down low and sleek like a slalom racer. tight turns. very fast making that 180 switchback. just following every motion that ginsey makes. star coming through it clean and bettering the time of our winner in the western regionals by 2 seconds as they head to st. louis. >> big day for star. the podium looks like this. in the third-place spot, it is benny with that 41.82. razzle in second. but it is star who shines and is with the third member

of our espn team, sean smith. >> ginsey st. croix and star, you're our champions in the large dog. now, speed kills. you even mentioned this. your dog is so fast. how do you keep up with star? >> i take the shortcuts. >> now, literally, can this dog get in front of you, and that makes it real hard to kind of catch up? >> um, it can, but luckily the courses will always bring her back to me. >> all right. well, you did fantastic today. very fast. congratulations. >> thank you. star. >> all right. congrats to star. stick around. the 60-weave head-to-head race is coming up next, followed by the gravity- defying incredible diving dogs. it's all coming your way here at the "purina incredible dog challenge." name is chef michael. and my dog bailey and i love to hang out in the kitchen... so she can watch me cook. you just love the aromas of beef tenderloin... and, ooh, rotisserie chicken. yes, you do. [ barks ] yeah. you're so special, you deserve a very special dog food.

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>> and welcome back to indianapolis, indiana, for the 2009 "purina incredible dog challenge" on espn. i'm trace worthington, along with shellene cockrell. a great competition going on so far. we're in the midst of our 60-weave-pole head-to-head competition. and pistol defeated flare, and joon defeated page, so they will battle it off in semifinal number one, and then razzle and star take each other on. there's joon right there coming onto the course. trailing behind is megan finlay

and pistol. so this is the first heat in our semifinals. the winner, obviously, advances to the championship heat. >> wait. wait. >> pistol a regional champion last year and second at our nationals. joon a newcomer to the i.d.c. circuit. >> 3, 2, 1, go! >> weave! go! go! go! >> jump-start out of the gate. joon taking the lead. a mistake, though. having to go back and redirect. megan staying steady with pistol. another mistake by joon. i think this is megan's race, trace. >> wow. look at that. pistol firing through the finish right there. a great round, and they will head to the championship final and try to get a spot. by the way, if they win this, they will go to the national finals in st. louis. joon rounding things off. it's always good that they get back and just make sure they don't give up, because you never know. >> and this is the race. out of the gate, pistol had the jump-start.

joon took it over but then made mistakes. megan stayed focused and determined and took the win. >> so who will face pistol in the final round? razzle and star will duel it off right here. >> husband versus wife with their dogs. of course, in large dog agility, star beat out razzle. what's going to happen here? let's see. >> oh, nice jump-start right there. >> star out to the lead early. but a mistake, having to go back and redirect. so can razzle do it? i'm sure don is wanting to beat out ginsey here for bragging rights. and he's staying the course. >> razzle does it. >> ok. one and one. >> so st. croix's doing well today. >> ha ha. star out of the gate definitely got the jump-start but in mid-course loses focus, and ginsey has to go back and redirect, but razzle stays on track with don all the way through the finish line. >> all right. so here it is, our final battle for the

championship crown right here-- pistol and razzle. both are doing great today. >> yes, indeed. the pressure is on. i'm sure megan and pistol would like to have a repeat regional championship here. but i don't know. these dogs are very evenly matched. this is going to be a close race. >> all right. handlers ready. 3, 2, 1, go! >> go, razz! go! come on, razz! go! >> pistol out of the gate fast. razzle putting on some pressure. but pistol right now staying on track with megan. >> pistol has some motivation. you see the tennis ball in megan's right hand. and shellene, it worked, as pistol comes through and wins it here in indiana. >> great job by megan and pistol. they just really excel at this event. she's got to be excited to have another regional championship under her belt, and, of course, a trip to st. louis now a reality.

right out of the gate, they get the jump-start. megan only focused on pistol all the way through the very end to another victory. megan's mom definitely excited about that one. >> megan and pistol are our champions. now, megan, you had a clean run every single time, including for the victory. how did you do that? >> she's just consistent. i don't know how she does it. she's just so concentrated that she does it every time. >> now, i know you're going to college next year. you going to take your dog with you? >> i hope so. ha ha ha. >> congratulations. you're the champ. >> thank you. >> another champion crowned here today at the "purina incredible dog challenge." next up, buckle your seatbelts. the incredible diving dogs are ready for takeoff in t-minus after the break. - ( "super freak" by rick james playing ) - it's pretty amazing

how one click of a mouse can make you move...

groove, bust it, shake it, get down, - ♪ she's a super freak, super freak ♪ - get funky - ♪ she's super freaky - and let your freak flag fly. - ♪ ohh, ohh, ohh, ohh, ohh, oh, oh ♪ - ( laughs ) - visa debit is the safe, secure way to pay online. - ♪ super freak, super freak - ♪ that girl's a super freak, ohh, ohh, ohh, ohh... ♪ - more people go with visa. >> and welcome back, everybody. the eastern regional championships of the "purina incredible dog challenge" on espn. a great round of events so far. we crowned champions in the large dog agility competition. star winning the gold medal there and will head to the national championship finals, and then in the head-to-head weave-pole competition, pistol and handler megan finlay take top honors there. and they'll book a plane ticket to st. louis for the national championships, and behind the scenes, the incredible diving dogs prepare for their event. 3 jumps. the best of 3 count in this event. and these dogs are ready to go.

and check it out, shellene. a huge crowd waiting outside. these are the people who are trying to qualify to get into the competition. it is probably the biggest turnout in history. >> ever. >> yeah. >> it really has been a huge turnout, because this all just focuses on the dogs' natural abilities. so anyone who's seen this on tv can actually come out and try to get a long-enough jump in order to compete. >> yeah. so if you think your dog has the goods to compete, come out and try out here at the "purina incredible dog challenge." everyone arrived early, and one of the first people in line has a very inspiring story. >> my husband got about an hour's sleep last night. we left at 1:00 in the morning so we can get here by 6:00 to sign up, because they was only taking 10 or 15 dogs. so we wanted to make sure that we were here. so we've been on line

since 6:15 this morning and couldn't sign up until 2:30. i wasn't going to get him, because i've been going through cancer for 5 1/2 years, and i wasn't going to get him because at first they told me i was only going to live about 2 years. and my husband talked me into getting him. my chemo started again on friday, and i was sick. i called off work monday, the first time in 15 years. and he laid by my side every single day. he wouldn't even leave me. it gets my mind off from this stuff, you know, because when you're just sitting there, i can't even watch tv anymore, because i sit there and watch tv, and that's all i think about, you know, what's going to happen next or if i'm going to be here tomorrow or next week or...you know. when you're not doing nothing or you're not busy, that's all you think about, is what's going on with you. and when i'm doing stuff with him--i could take him walking in the wintertime for 5 hours, and it just keeps my mind off from everything.

he usually jumps really good. from the tail, he jumps 24'11". you know, i don't know what the deal is today. his farthest jump was 24'6" to the nose. so he just didn't do good today. but it's ok. i wouldn't have missed it for anything. if he would have jumped 10 foot, it would have been worth it for me to come here, you know. we just love it. he keeps me going. he's my buddy. >> and all the competitors out here have so much passion for what they are doing. the next event, incredible diving dogs. the spectators are fired up and ready to go. let's head to the stage with shellene, who has more on that. >> the competitors in our next event are all about the toy, whether it's a ball, a bumper, or a flying disc, whatever it takes to get them to make the plunge. each dog gets a running start

off of our dock to go after their toy into the purina pool. but the distance can be maximized right here by getting as close to the edge as possible before making their leap. the distance is judged by where the dog's nose enters the water. >> all right. each dog gets 3 shots to become champion, and the best of 3 count. here are highlights from diving dog round number one. kasey coming in with 24 feet. >> next up was fernando, the spanish water dog, getting his chance off of the dock. he comes in making a mark of 22'3" in his first jump. >> yeah. and tying that 22'3" jump was reagan. an impressive jump here, the first of 3. a little trouble there off the end of the dock. >> kody, who was our western regional champion from last year, on his first jump, setting the bar up a bit. 24'1".

>> and speaking of setting the bar up a bit, brox, the 2 1/2-year-old male belgian malinois, with a 24'7" jump there. >> a big one. all improving upon each other. gauge the last of the top dogs here in diving dog, and he moves the bar up to 26'3", the jump to beat after their first attempt. >> all right. so the leader board after the first of 3 rounds in the incredible diving dog competition-- brox, kody, and kasey all impressive, leaping over the 24-foot mark, but it is gauge who sends an early message, jumping 26'3". so the east coast's top diving dogs prepare for round number 2, trying to grab that eastern regional championship title. if they do well here, well, they'll head to st. louis for the national championship

finals in pursuit to be crowned national champion. stick around. more from indianapolis, indiana. you're watching the "purina incredible dog challenge" on espn.

>> well, in addition to letting the dogs fly into the pool, they let one horse take a dip. it's blue, the mascot for the indianapolis colts. all the folks out here enjoying seeing blue out here live and in person. round number one in the books

for the incredible diving dog competition. and what a round it was. gauge sets the tone at 26'3". so a huge jump to contest with as we move into round 2. so gauge 26'3". brox, kody, kasey impressive--all over that 24-foot mark. there's kasey ready to roll, jump number 2. >> kasey needing to improve upon his first jump by just over 2 feet if he wants to take the lead. a very nice leap into the purina pool. that looked out there at the 26-foot mark, trace. >> and that's what they're vying for, and it's kind of funny how these dogs, their distances grow farther as time goes on. 26'2". so an impressive jump there. kasey moving into the second-place spot. >> improving by 2'2". not bad on his second jump.

getting right up pretty close to the edge of the dock. a good throw. could have led him out a little bit farther had that been thrown in front of his nose. he turned a little bit, and i think that even cost him some inches. >> just a little more reach. a good-looking dog here, fernando getting ready for jump number 2. fernando came in at jump number one with a 22'3" jump. >> fernando a spanish water dog. he actually is from spain. our smallest competitor, but that is not a small jump. >> pretty solid there. 23'8". so an improvement after jump number one for fernando. >> fernando could have gone farther, though. it all depends on the throw. kind of happened in the first jump as well. here the bumper is up and out to the side. so instead of launching forward all the way, he turns his body and is kind of going off in the direction of where the bumper is. the throw is key.

>> so timing is definitely crucial, as reagan gets ready to go. a 22'3" jump on the first round. >> reagan is our third-place finisher from the i.d.c. national championships last year. starts a little closer. right up to the edge. and a nice big leap. again, though, that throw kind of back behind his head, but still 24 feet. >> 24 feet. mike jorns is the handler and built a 40-foot dock in his pond to train his labrador. >> he's looking back, though, trying to look at his toy. you need to throw out in front to get the maximum distance. >> all right. here's kody. a pretty good leap,