Doggone it! Pooches put on big show for library’s summer reading program
Published 12:00 am Friday, July 20, 2018
Hustle leaps and catches a Frisbee as Dare Devil Dogs of Lincolnton performs at the Rowan Public Library on Thursday. Jon C. Lakey/Salisbury Post
Kosuke Hirai, from Japan on tour with Dare Devil Dogs, and Greedy perform a Frisbee trick. Jon C. Lakey/Salisbury Post
Laura Moretz works with Hustle. Jon C. Lakey/Salisbury Post
Kosuke Hirai holds Maybe, a border collie while the kids have a chance to pet him after the show. Jon C. Lakey/Salisbury Post
Dare Devil Dogscame to the Rowan Public Library's Summer Reading Program. Jon C. Lakey/Salisbury Post
SALISBURY — They flipped. They weaved. They jumped. They twirled. They caught and raced down Frisbees.
Laura Moretz and a visiting world champion trainer from Japan, Kosuke Hirai, put a talented group of dogs through a performance for Rowan Public Library’s Summer Reading School on Thursday afternoon at the library headquarters on West Fisher Street.
Moretz, whose Dare Devil Dogs program from Lincolnton travels across the country, brought dogs named Monster, Punky Brewster, Bulova, Maybe and Hustle to be part of the entertainment.
Hirai, a 2017 world champion in Frisbee dogs, shared the tricks of his young border collie, Greedy. Before returning to Japan, Hirai plans to compete in a world qualifying competition this weekend in Dacula, Georgia.
This week alone, Moretz and Hirai did eight shows for Rowan Public Library summer reading and camp programs at branches across the county.
“They’re a little tired,” Moretz told the crowd filled with children, parents, grandparents, and passers-by. Under shade trees, the audience sat on lawn chairs, blankets and tarps outside the main library.
The dogs wowed folks with the things they could do in catching Frisbees, jumping over the trainers and showing their agility in maneuvering through obstacles. Hirai demonstrated Greedy’s signature back flip over the trainer.
Moretz gave kids some advice on how to interact — or not interact — with strange dogs they see in public. If they were looking for a pet, she encouraged them to consider rescue dogs from local shelters. Moretz also talked about the importance of spaying and neutering.
At the end of the show, the trainers invited the kids to line up so they could greet and give a parting pat to Maybe, a 2-year-old border collie who loved all the attention.
