Dogs leap for fun at the annual Canine Cannonball

Think only kids love to cannonball into water? This weekend it’s the 2018 Canine Cannonball at Dog Days Bar and Grill in Osage Beach in the Lake of the Ozarks, central Missouri. It’s a water Olympics for dogs, so to speak, consisting of three events that test each dog's athletic prowess. And no matter who wins, these dogs much be having the time of their lives.

Athletic events include the Big Air Wave, the canine equivalent to the long jump, where participating dogs run down the 40-foot by 8-foot competition dock and jump off into the water for distance. The Extreme Vertical is a dock dog's version of the high jump. In this leap-for-height event, a canine leaps high into the air off the "dock" to retrieve a toy suspended above the water. The third event, the Speed Retrieve, is a timed event that has the dog jump into the water and swim to fetch a toy.

Cannonball activities get underway today (Friday, June 8, 2018) with registration and practice rounds taking place at 1 p.m. The first official events begin with three heats of the Big Air Wave at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. On Saturday, registration and practice rounds begin at 10 a.m. with three more heats of the Big Air Wave taking place at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The Extreme Vertical event rounds out the day's competition at 5:30 p.m. The events conclude on Sunday with registration and practice rounds beginning at 10 a.m. followed by the final two heats of the Big Air Wave at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The Speed Retrieve takes place at 3 p.m. with the Big Air Wave finals beginning at 5 p.m.

All Canine Cannonball events are free and open to the public. All donations collected throughout the weekend benefit the Dogwood Animal Shelter, a no-kill shelter in Osage Beach. Staff members from Dogwood Animal Shelter also will have adoptable pets on-site for the duration of the three-day Canine Cannonball. All adoptable animals are up-to-date on their vaccines and have been spayed or neutered. For more information on the Dogwood Animal Shelter, or to view their adoptable pets, visit www.DASLakeOfTheOzarks.com. For more information or to register your canine olympians, visit www.dockdogs.com/eventscal/dog-days-canine-cannonball-6/.

For more information about the Lake of the Ozarks, visit the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitor Bureau's (CVB) website at www.FunLake.com.