Dog days just got cooler

The dog show takes place three times every day at the fair.
By MATT BIXENSTINE
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- John Casey wakes up every morning and is greeted by five furry faces who share his bed.
Later, after returning home from his carpentry job, he and his energetic dogs -- four Australian shepherds and an Australian shepherd-border collie mix -- go outside to blow off steam playing Frisbee.
One could say Casey, who never had a canine companion growing up, has gone dog-wild.
But it's all in a day's work for the trainer and his acrobatic dogs, who together compose the Nestle Purina Dog Chow Incredible Dog Team.
Under Casey's direction, Breezy, Jazz, Teagan, Hannah and Ziggy have brought their high-flying spectacle to this year's Canfield Fair. The dogs perform back vaults, headstands and back flips as part of their Frisbee-catching routine.
The unscripted show, sponsored by The Vindicator, takes place at noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. every day of the fair in the southwest corner of the fairgrounds.
Delighted audience
During Friday's 25-minute noon performance, the dogs delighted fairgoers by snaring up to eight Frisbees in a row, catapulting Casey's back and catching Frisbees launched by volunteers from the audience.
At times they appeared to defy gravity in their efforts to grasp the floating discs.
"This is living proof that with good nutrition, healthy exercise and lots of love, anybody's dog can be incredible," said Casey, who adopted two of his pets from shelters and recommends rescued dogs to any potential owner.
The 35-year-old from Cincinnati spends about 25 weekends a year on the road as his canines perform at locations nationwide.
He's had to develop strategies for traveling with five dogs, such as finding pet-friendly hotel chains.
"If I have to go to the West Coast, Purina will pay for a dog to sit next to me on the plane," Casey said. "You talk about getting funny looks."
Getting started
Casey began participating in the sport of canine Frisbee in 1995, performing during pregame and halftime shows at NFL games. He joined the Nestle Purina Dog Chow Incredible Dog Team in 2000.
He instills in his dogs a love for Frisbees by having the discs serve as their food bowls as pups.
Although most of the dogs were hyperactive and "interior excavators" when Casey got them, he has since found an outlet to harness their energy.
"Instead of herding sheep and cattle, they herd Frisbees," he said.
As part of the show, Casey makes it a point to educate dog owners on the advantages of adopting and training dogs from local shelters and rescue centers.
"The key when training is to always stop before the dogs do," he said. "That way they realize training time is short, and they will have a drive" to train.
The good and the bad
Casey said training dogs has been a gratifying experience, though he finds it difficult to spend so much time on the road away from his wife, also a dog lover, and three children.
Next weekend he will attend a St. Louis Cardinals game and throw out the ceremonial first pitch -- for his dog, Hannah, to catch.
But for now Casey is in the midst of performing with the team 18 times at the Canfield Fair.
Greg and Lori Fidoe (pronounced "Fido") of Winona saw one of Friday's shows with their children, Hannah, 10, and Sarah, 12. The family, dog breeders who have 27 dogs at home, was impressed by the performance.
"I think it's a great thing these dogs are able to do this," Greg Fidoe said. "They're great animals -- they give a lot of love to a lot of people."
mbixenstine@vindy.com