Dogs splashed into the weekend at the Meadow in Niagara-on-the-Lake for a sunny afternoon of showing off their best tricks — or just having fun taking a dip in the pool.

The Niagara Canine Conditioning Centre hosted the June Jumpstart dock diving competition on Saturday, kickstarting a summer of fun at the Meadow dog park.

The event on Concession 7 Road was an opportunity for dogs of all breeds to show off their dock diving skills, or try it for the first time. 

“It’s a great bonding experience,” said Keri Evers, owner of the Canine Conditioning Centre, based in St. Catharines.

Dogs had two chances to show off their jumping skills — but had to do both in a span of two minutes. 

Some dogs rocketed into the air with ease while others were a bit hesitant to jump into the chilly waters. 

Breeze, Evers’ six-year-old Boston terrier, had no fear up on the dock.

That might be because Breeze is no stranger to the sport — or to competition. She’s been to multiple world dock diving championships and has won flyball championships. 

“What Breeze loves is fetch — and she decided that if she had to fetch in the water, then she would go fetch in the water,” said Evers.

She encourages others to try the sport of dock diving, noting that it’s an activity that requires very little training.  

“You don’t have to be good at it. We just want to come out and have a good time,” she said. 

It’s a great form of exercise, said Susanne Rokos. She was there with her husband Zednek and their two bohemian shepherds, Zanna and Bosso. 

Even though Zanna is 11-years-old and Bosso only has three legs, they jumped high into the air and made a huge splash during the competition. 

Starting this week on Thursday and running until the end of August, Evers will be having a dock diving league at the Meadow starting at 5:30 p.m. 

“The only requirement is that your dog likes water,” she said. 

Anyone looking for more information can email diving@gmail.com.