Underdog to top dog

Anyone who believes dogs can't fly has never met Jackson.

"When he jumps off the dock, it's phenomenal," his Celina owner Jackie Jutte said.

The 3-year-old yellow Labrador retriever displayed his leaping abilities in the recent Dockdogs World Championship in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Jackson and Jutte were named the 2017 Top Ranked Titan Team, honoring the dog and handler that rank first over the year in the three areas: Big Air, a horizontal jump into water; Extreme Vertical, a vertical leap straight up over water; and the Speed Retrieve Nitro competition, which times how quickly a dog can run 20 feet on the dock and swim across a 40-foot long pool. The dogs leap and then swim after toys thrown into the water and air.

At the competition, Jackson also placed second in speed in the Nitro contest, and Jutte's daughter, Olivia, 11, earned second place in the Big Air youth handler contest.

About 835 dogs competed, most of them from the United States with some from Canada, Jutte said.

She said Jackson's extreme "toy drive," and his natural athleticism help him excel at Dockdog sports.

"He has a good jump and is an extremely powerful swimmer," Jutte said of the 82-pound lab. "Sometimes a breed like the (Belgian) Malinous are good at jumping but not swimming, so they normally outjump him, but he catches up to them in swimming."
Jackson's personal bests include 7 feet, 4 inches in the Big Air; 25 feet, 11 inches in the Extreme Vertical; and 5.5 seconds in the Nitro contest.

Jutte loves dogs and also trains them for others. She worked for an animal behaviorist before moving here from England about 15 years ago. Jackson is one of seven dogs she owns.

Before his fame, Jackson's life wasn't so happy. In fact, he's lucky to be alive, Jutte noted.

His first owners, a family with five children, got Jackson from a breeder as a puppy but gave him up, Jutte said. He went to two more homes where the owners could not handle his destructiveness. The owners kept him in a crate for long periods to try to control his high activity level, she said. Next he landed at a high-kill pound. Luckily, an official with the Animal Protection League of Mercer County picked him up. He was then placed with Jutte, who is a volunteer trainer for the organization. She initially began training Jackson to be a service dog but pulled him from the program due to his high toy intensity.

Two years ago, a Dockdogs event debuted at the Mercer County Fair. Jutte tried out Jackson in the sport, and the whole family was hooked, including Jutte's husband, Jerry, who also has competed with the lab. She then began training the canine at her pond and a friend's swimming pool.

Though Jackson's story has a positive ending, this isn't the case for many dogs with behavioral issues, Jutte said.

She urges anyone considering getting a puppy or dog to research the breed for characteristics and a temperament that matches their lifestyle and experience level.

"When I got him he was crazy, and it was because he was bored," she said. "He was just misunderstood like so many dogs. We had to find a way to channel his energy and purpose."

Olivia said she is very proud of Jackson for his Dockdogs accomplishments. Her favorite event is the Big Air because it's fun to watch how high he can jump.

Her favorite thing about Jackson?

"That he's such a snuggle bunny," she said, giggling.