Get it! Get it! Get it, Huck! While her dog waits eagerly at the back of the dock, Nancy Akin releases him to speed down the dock and fly out over the water, stretching out excitedly for his bumper.

Huckleberry, a yellow Labrador Retriever who lives in Lakeland, will be competing in a national Dockdogs® event in Sebring, April 11-12 at the Sebring Soda Festival. Huckleberry and his owner/trainer, Nancy Akin, have competed in these events all over the Eastern United States and are now very excited about being able to compete so close to home.

A high drive, energetic Lab, Huckleberry has been competing in DockDogs® events since 2018, even competing in the Worlds Championships six times. At the 2021 World Championship, Huckleberry worked hard and earned a 3^rd place World Champ in the Iron Dog division.

Akin is a seasoned veteran of DockDogs®, competing in events for 18 years. Huckleberry is her 7^th Labrador Retriever, with three of her former canine athletes being accomplished dock dogs like Huckleberry. Her love of the sport has taken her everywhere from Seattle to Louisiana to Iowa to Virginia with all stops in between.

Huckleberry is titled and competes in all four disciplines of DockDogs®. Among his accomplishments are titles in Big Air (jump for distance), Extreme Vertical (jump for height), Speed Retrieve (jump/swim for time), and Iron Dog (combination of these three).

This DockDogs® event in Sebring is not just for seasoned competitors like Huckleberry The local folk are encouraged to bring your dogs out and give it a try. Staff there will help you get your dog to jump off the dock and give tips on the sport of dock diving.

According to Akin, many of DockDogs® competitors across the country, even champions, began by seeing a local competition and letting their dog try it out. “Once that dog sees how much fun it is, both dog and handler are hooked,” reported Akin.

The DockDogs® competition is part of the Sebring Soda Festival where you can sample over 200 sodas from all around the world. The festival is sponsored by Visit Sebring (VisitSebring.com). In addition to the bounteous sodas, there will be food trucks, merch vendors, and fun activities for the entire family.

For more information about the DockDogs® competition, you can contact Nancy Akin at 706-540-9395 or nakin7783@gmail.com. For more information about the Sebring Soda Festival, contact Casey Hartt at (863) 640-1743 or Casey@visitsebring.com.