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Club puts dogs, discs together for howlin' good time

By Julie Randle
Tuesday, June 5, 2007 3:33 PM CDT

Each dog barks incessantly. They want to be let off their leashes so they can play. Each canine is impatient because he is eager to display his talent for chasing Frisbee-like discs.

Finn is a 2-year-old border collie who can clear four to five feet on each short jump and sometimes flip his body around in nearly a circle while trying to catch a disc.

Then there's Sophie, a 12-year-old border collie, who can run long distances and leap into the air to catch the saucers.

On a day last week when temperatures reached into the mid 80s, the dogs' owners let them off their leashes to pursue the spinning discs in short bursts of 10 minutes or less. Each play period was followed by the sound of thirsty dogs lapping water up from bowls supplied by their owners.

Running down the spinning discs is an open sport. Any dog from the smallest to the biggest, from the lightest to the heaviest is a contender.

"The only requirement is that the dog wants to play," said Bob Niemeier, founder of the St. Louis Disc Dog Club. "This sport isn't about people. It's about the dogs. The dogs are doing all the work."
Niemeier, a 52-year-old Shaw resident, started the club 15 years ago with his dog, Stella, a Germany shorthaired pointer, which died last summer.

"Stella was wild and crazy when she was a puppy. My wife said, 'Find a way to wear out that dog or find it a different home,'" he said.

Niemeier introduced her to a disc and let the dog's nature take its course. It wasn't long before the two were competing in area competitions.

Stella was a champion, racking up points for picking off the discs at various distances.

Niemeier realized competitions weren't for everyone, but every dog and dog owner seemed to like playing with the flying discs. Getting people together to play together and to teach their dogs new tricks seemed only natural.

Brad Langhorst describes the club as being laid back. He and his dog, Howie, a 5-year-old American Staffordshire terrier, joined the club six months ago after learning about it on the Internet.

"Bob tries to help everybody. The club isn't about competition it's about having fun," said Langhorst, 35, a maintenance worker at St. Anthony's Medical Center.

John Watson, a Holly Hills resident, and Red, a 2-year-old Australian cattle dog mix, have been members of the club since October.

"He's a super high energy dog. He's a working dog, so he needs a job. There's no place to heard cattle in the city, so he chases Frisbees," said Watson, who teaches sculpture classes at Webster University.

Red has become an expert at chasing down and catching flying discs. The two have started working on vaulting tricks, where Red will jump on Watson's body, leap off and catch a spinning disc. Watson admits these tricks are harder to master. Red is hesitant to touch and jump on Watson's body because he has been trained not to jump on people, Watson said.

Typically, the dogs will run between the owner's legs or around the owner's body in anticipation of the launch. This basic method allows the dog to see where the disc is thrown and be able to judge the distance, Niemeier said.

The goals of the club are to encourage people to rescue animals, to support rescue organizations, as well as to entertain people and show them dogs can be fun, said Niemeier, who is a student majoring in physical therapy at Saint Louis University.

For the past 10 years, the club has staged demonstrations for civic groups, humane societies, Cub and Boy Scouts and at sports events. Demonstrations are free, but the club asks each organization to make a donation to a dog rescue organization, such as humane societies.

Niemeier has two dogs involved in the club: Sophie, a 12-year-old border collie and Seamus a 3-year-old miniature Australian shepherd. Both of his dogs have been entered in competitions; however, Niemeier cautions that a dog should be 18 to 24 months before they start to compete so it doesn't harm their growth.

Niemeier enjoys engaging in both competitions and club events.

"The competitions are about me and how I throw, my control, my emotion and strategy. Demonstrations are a chance to explain about dogs, explain tricks and have fun. I don't have to worry about being perfect. There's a lot of gratification in raising money for rescue groups," said Niemeier, who has two other dogs at home that are not part of the club.

For more information, call (314) 771-1763 or visit www.stldiscdogs.com.

Want to introduce your pooch to the club?

The St. Louis Disc Dog Club holds free play dates from 9 to 11 a.m. on the 1st and 3rd Sundays and the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month. Usually, between six to 15 dog owners come out for a play date. People can join the e-mail list from by visiting www.stldiscdogs.com, which will automatically send reminders of events.

The St. Louis Disc Dog Club's next performance will be for Maplewood Community Days at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 9 at Deer Creek Park in Maplewood.

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