AKRON, Ohio _ Ruger certainly lived up to his name.
A newbie to the fast-growing league sport of Disc Dog _ which can trace its origins to the Akron area _ the young border collie from Bath Township took off like he was shot out of a gun to hunt down the plastic disc.
"We named him Ruger because he was a real pistol when we got him," said owner Megan Crum with a laugh.
Ruger proved to be up to the challenge of catching the flying disc, but needed some work on the art of returning it to Crum so she could throw it again for him to fetch within the set time limit.
"He's used to our yard," she said. "There are no rules there. It is a free-for-all."
When the competitors for the Ohio Disc Dogs club meet weekly in a large field behind the Silver Lake Police Department, the goal is to score as many points as possible as they are competing against pooches from all over the world.
Stow resident Mark Vitullo said things started humbly enough with just a couple of dogs meeting weekly to play fetch with Frisbees a few years back.
Soon a trapezoid-shaped field was established where the owner stands at one end and throws a disc for the dog to catch within the boundaries.
The rules are fairly simple.
The dog must catch the disc before it hits the ground and scores range from one point if caught between 10 and 20 yards, up to five points for those caught between 40 to 50 yards. An extra half-point is awarded if the dog has all four feet off the ground when it snatches the disc.
The owner has a minute to throw the disc as many times as possible, or as many times that the dog will return it.
Vitullo said the club started with weekly matches against Davidson, Mich. _ playing off the whole Ohio State and Michigan rivalry _ with scores from the top dogs recorded and added up to determine a winner.
But as word spread and more and more canine competitors started showing up, new teams were added in Youngstown and Cleveland, and the league was officially formed last year with five cities, including Akron, Chicago and St. Louis.
This summer, it has grown to include 32 cities in the United States, Canada, Switzerland and even Croatia.
"It's huge," he said. "It has just exploded. Spain and Greece are about to come on board. This is turning into a global league."
But true to its roots, no matter the location, each gathering is the same.
A bunch of eager dogs bark and howl at the top of their lungs, eager for a chance to play fetch with their owner.
Vitullo is among the top disc-throwing competitors in the country and travels all over for competitions.
The league is a fun way for him and his dogs, like Lulu, a 2013 world champ, to hone their skills for bigger contests and encourage others to take up the sport.
And it is a fairly cheap diversion. It costs just $10 to join the K9 Frisbee Worldwide Toss & Fetch League sessions that pretty much match up with the various seasons.
Special patches are awarded to the top-scoring dogs, and like youth soccer, participation patches are awarded to the remaining competitors.
As for the equipment, all you need is a social, active dog _ of course _ and a special dog-friendly disc that doesn't break apart when chewed.
Vitullo said all types of dogs participate but herding breeds like German shepherds, border collies and Australian shepherds tend to dominate at higher-level competitions.
"There are certain dogs that are just awful and for whatever reason just can't catch," he said. "But all breeds can do this."
Dogs are kept on leashes until it is their turn to fetch the disc _ otherwise it might be a melee of dogs running about.
"It is fun to watch," he said. "These dogs really fly."
Vitullo said if a dog will fetch and catch a tennis ball, there's a pretty good chance it can do the same with a disc.
"The harder part is teaching the owner how to toss the Frisbee," he said.
Gail and Michael Spiro travel from Solon to participate on the Ohio Disc Dog team with their English yellow lab.
"Her name is Luna for lunatic or Leaping Luna," said Gail.
In addition to the disc league, Luna travels to dock-diving competitions where dogs leap off a platform into a pool of water.
She recently won a competition in Canada with a dive of 23 feet, 4 inches.
Meeting weekly in Silver Lake, Gail said, is fun activity for both the owners and Luna, who brings her own personal pool to cool off in between runs.
"She gets so excited, we have to spell it out around her when we talk about it."
