New world record for Slingshot the dock-diving dog

If you had seen this dog in action you would have sworn he was some sort of Superdog! You might even ask if he cheated the laws of gravity. This is because a new record has been set for dock-diving and it has been set by a Mid-Michigan dog who soared through the air.

The dog which is owned by Flinton resident Rachael Brinkman is a three-and-a-half-year-old Whippet named Slingshot. Over the last weekend Slingshot competed at the North American Diving Dogs Qualifier in Ohio and he created quite a name for himself.

According to his owner Rachael, Slingshot set several records, with the latest and best world mark being 35 feet, 3 inches. She said she was amazed by the fact that with every jump he just got better. The record Slingshot broke was previously held for six years.

"He's finally fully matured and filled out, he's really in the best shape of his life. A big part of it is that and the other part is that we train and condition him regularly for this so he just keeps getting better,”

Rachael Brinkman, TV5

For those who are curious about dock diving, dock diving is a competitive dog sport where pups jump from a dock into a body of water for height or distance. Competitions are held internationally in Germany, Australia and the U.K. among other nations. For those of you in the United States who might be interested in finding out more about Dock Diving you can contact DockDogs, Splash Dogs and Air Dogs as well as North American Diving Dogs.

“North America Diving Dogs titles are recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) though the AKC’s Title Recognition Program. Your dog does not have to be an AKC registered dog to participate in a North America Diving Dogs trial.”

North America Diving Dogs

Dogs who are looking forward to winning big later in the year will be happy to find out that Slingshot will not be competing in the World Finals. The World Finals which will be held in Florida in December.