We have been hopeful for a long time now that as the pandemic was brought under control, we would be able to return to practices. Unfortunately, it has become clear to us that for several reasons this will not be possible. These reasons include:
1) We continue to see the emergence of new variants of the Covid-19 virus that is causing wave after wave of illness.
2) Despite the clear public health benefits, a large percentage of the general population (particularly here in semi-rural Deschutes County) still refuse to be vaccinated and/or take basic precautions such as wearing masks and social distancing. As of today, our county has the highest rate of infection in the state, and we have more cases now than we have at any point in the last two years.
3) There have been many, many examples of threats and physical violence toward people and businesses who have chosen to do the right thing and enforce mask mandates and ask for vaccination status. We have seen this throughout the U.S., including here in the Bend/Redmond/Sisters area.
We love Flyball, and we miss it tremendously. The fact remains, however, that we always ran Bend FlyDogs out of our own pocket, at a significant financial loss, so that we could share the sport with others. As a result, we simply do not want to put ourselves and others at risk, not only from Covid-19 but also from physical harm caused by those who don't understand the difference between "personal freedom" and "being selfish." It simply isn't worth it.
Maybe we will be back at some point, maybe we won't. There is really no way of knowing at this point...it all depends entirely on the continued evolution of the pandemic, which depends in large part on what the vast majority of the world's citizens choose to do.
We thank everyone for the support that you have given us over the years, and we sincerely hope that we will see you all again in the future. Until then, stay safe and stay heal
We are a community FlyBall club who accepts all dogs, regardless of how fast they are or how quickly they learn. Our mission is to make this great canine sport available to all dogs who can safely play.
We teach all lessons on a drop-in basis. Send us an email if you would like to try it out!
Learning the skills to play flyball will challenge dogs while having a lot of fun. Flyball is literally running and jumping in order to get a ball and bring it back. That is what most dogs love to do the most! Flyball will also allow you to spend time with your canine companions in a structured learning environment that is a big change of pace from all of the outdoor opportunities that are available here in Central Oregon.
We work with our experienced FlyDogs and SuperDogs from 6:15 to 7:15, then with new dogs, MightyDogs, and HotDogs from 7:15 to 8:15. All lessons are drop-in. No reservations are needed and no long-term commitments are required, although we do appreciate it if you can let us know ahead of time that you are coming.
At lessons we try to have each dog get 4-5 training mini-sessions, where we work on the skills required to safely play Flyball. This skills include jumping hurdles, retrieving a dead ball, and learning how to trigger the flyball box. We recommend bringing treats, and if possible a harness for your dogs. As your dog progresses, he or she will also need to be kept in a crate during training sessions as this is required at all FlyBall Tournaments.
It is so much fun watching new dogs learn to play Flyball. Here Xena is learning to go over a hurdle to get a dead ball.
See our videos for more action from Bend FlyDogs.