Pup Pawlympics was a result of conversations Iowa Puppy 2018,Mal Orion (who is also the producer) had with other pups in Iowa as he was coming out as puppy. They felt there wasn’t a community here and he wanted to be part of changing that impression. Mal wanted to do something that was less intimidating than a mosh and showcase different aspects of puppy play to new and current pups, which is why there were headspace and handler components to the event. Mal remembered his first mosh and how frustrated he felt when he was too anxious to get into headspace, so ho approached Thumper Pedarus III to do a hypnosis headspace warm up demo, which he was very generous in coming here to do.
Inviting pup groups from the upper Midwest seemed a logical choice and in order to make it a collaborative effort, each group had a volunteer be part of the Pawlympic Committee to help promote & organize the event and determine games. With Sash Bash on the calendar for early March, Mal approached Rob Anderson in November to see if he could hold Pup Pawlympics in conjunction and Papa Bear was very enthusiastic about that idea. He provided the conference space in the hotel and gave us the floor at Studio 13 during the Sunday brunch to hand out the awards. A video of highlights from the event was presented during the awards ceremony.
- Co-hosted by North Star Kennel Club, Twin Cities Puppy Pack, Badger PAH, and Iowa Pups & Handlers (IA PAH). Chicago Puppy Patrol was involved in an unofficial role.
- Pawlympic Committee: Toby Phoenix/Pup October-NSKC, Alex Payne-TCPP, Allen Hollin-Badger PAH
- Volunteers: Chris Diorio/Pup Riku (greased squirrel), Pup TA, Toby Phoenix/Pup October, Maverick, Pup Ratchet, Allen Hollin, Bayard (Photography)
- Rufferees: Sir Justin, AJ Perdew, Brian Thingvold
- Held in conjunction w/ Sash Bash
Events included:
Hedgie Hunt, 12 hedgie squeakies and a pool filled with balls, what could go wrong!?
Pup Spike is attempting to pin Rufferee Justin StClair while searching for Hedgies in the pool of balls
Guide Dog had handlers blindfolded being led through an obstacle course by puppies
Greased Squirrel Chase in which Pup Riku was covered from head to toe in JLube and the pups had to chase him to gather the squirrels nuts
Pup Riku just found out how cold JLube really is!!
Alpha Says was led by Pup Cyon
Is there ever an event that Justin is at that his pants aren’t pulled off?
Obstacle Course set up with a balance beam, a balloon pit the pups and handlers had to dive through, followed by a side to side race to the end
Cone of Shame where the poor coned pup had to catch balls thrown from a distance
Drag Race, not RuPaul’s, instead the puppies had to drag their tails around a course on a rolling base!
There’s a right way…
then there’s Spike’s way
Scores were given for each game and military dog tags given out to top 3 contestants in each game. There were also raffle tickets given for participation and attendance.
“They didn’t get my pants this time!”
The raffle prizes included:
Mr S Leather- Two $25 gift cards and two Oxballs toys;
Castaways MC Milwaukee- Two passes to Bare Run 3: Journey into the Woods, July 13-15
North Star Kennel Club- giant teddy bear
Allen Hollin & Brian Thingvold- a mountain of candy and toys given out in gift bags
IA PAH- Giant Gummi bear
and for the penalties and quiet time, a tent was set up for puppies to play in.
The Pawlympic Committee and Mal have plans to hold Pup Pawlympics again next year in conjunction with Sash Bash.
Video of highlights created by Pup Bayard, Photography by Pup Bayard.
