BY KAREN BOSSICK

Is your dog faster than a speeding bullet? Can he fly through the air like a locomotive?

Then DockDogs is for you. Or, rather, your pup.

The City of Ketchum is teaming up with DockDogs to host a two-day event on Friday and Saturday, July 6-7, showcasing the amazing and entertaining athletic prowess of dogs, whether they be a Great Dane or Chihuahua.

Dogs will be challenged to compete in a variety of contests from vertical jumps to speed retrieval, from leaping as far as they can into a pool of water to chasing an object down a dock.

The action will take place on Washington Street between the Limelight Hotel and Forest Service Park. It’s free for spectators, and there will be some doggone good merchandise, food and beverages for sale.

The fun kicks off at 4 p.m. Friday, July 6, with registration and practice rounds. The extreme vertical challenge competition, essentially a high jump contest, begins at 5 p.m.

Competition resumes at 10 a.m. Saturday with the first round of dock jumping. The speed retrieval contest starts at 2:30 p.m., followed by the dock jumping finals.

Dogs must be at least six months or older to compete; any size or breed is welcome. There will also be classes for training youth handlers between the ages of 7 and 14.

Competitors can register online at www.dockdogs.com.

Handlers can also register at the event on Friday night before the competition begins and on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m.

DockDogs is an independent governing and sanctioning organization for the growing sport of canine dock jumping and other canine performance sports. The organization sponsors events in cities across the country.