2009 State Fair Tour (In Virginia) Photo by Megan Staples

The Aerobie Superdisc TM has been my flying disc of choice since 2001. The reason: they are in my opinion the safest flying disc for your dog, in which you can still make incredible throws.  Of course, I miss certain throws like grass skips. But the safety of my dogs always comes first!  The Superdisc TM has a rubber rum that is extremely safe and is not easily punctured. Because of this, my dogs rarely get cuts in the back of their mouths and they very seldom bite their tongues while playing.

Most standard Frisbee’s and discs have a hard plastic rim. This rim is easily punctured by a dogs bite. After a few catches, your dog can end up creating a really jagged edge flying disc. These jagged edges can potential hurt your dog, cut the gum in their mouth, and quickly become very unsafe. During competitions I used Wham-O Fast Back Frisbees exclusively; as they are the preferred flying disc of choice for Frisbee Dog competitions worldwide. However, I found myself always having to repair the jagged edges by sanding them down with sand paper. This was very time consuming and didn’t completely solve the safety issue. All this changed after I discovered the Aerobie Superdisc TM.

Aerobie TM has been a proud sponsor of my show since 2001. I highly recommend them for anyone who wants to play disc with their dog. They are easy to throw and very visual for your dogs to catch. They also hold up about ten times longer than a standard Frisbee. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to use them in most Frisbee Dog competitions circuits. But for backyard recreation and safe fun with your dog, they are the best! You can find them at many retailers nationwide including sporting good stores and REI.

Overall, I give the Aerobie Superdisc TM a 10 out of 10 product score.

In the beginning...

Former team member Zak George is hosting a new TV show on Animal Planet called “Superfetch” which premiers tonight!  Tune into Animal Planet every Saturday night at 8pm. (For a complete schedule visit http://animal.discovery.com/tv/superfetch/ )

Zak George started performing with my “Extreme Canines Stunt Dog Show” back in 2006.  He was one of my top performers for three years  (2006 through 2008). Zak and I met for the first time in Atlanta, GA while I was out to visit with the Stone Mountain theme park to discuss performances for the 2006 season. In 2006, I ended up booking three separate theme parks. It was an overnight expansion! Finding talented trainers and performers became top priority. I originally heard about Zak George online through competitive dog sport channels.

Zak George and Chris Perondi at ValleyFair 2006

Zak and I immediately hit it off in Atlanta! At the time he was working at Petsmart as a top dog trainer. I was thoroughly impressed with his dog training skills and the talent of his dogs. I decided I wanted to work with Zak personally and train him to be a lead performer. So I brought Zak in to assist with my ValleyFair theme park production in Shakopee, MN during the 2006 summer season. We were on the road together from June through November that first year.

Zak even lead the production at the Valleyfair theme park for almost two weeks during the middle of the summer. I needed to leave to produce shows for a fair in Indiana, in which I made a prior commitment before booking the theme parks. Zak did an awesome job! When I returned he couldn’t stop raving about the standing ovation he received on the parks busiest Saturday of the year.  Zak grew a ton in those three years and always showed much of ambition. His video blogging obsession started during our 2006 fall fair tour.

Zak George, Supernova, Venus, and Alpha

I am very proud of Zak George and I want to invite everyone to check out his new show. You will see Zak helping dogs and pets learning all sorts of useful and exciting behaviors like teaching a dog to bowl a strike, pour a round of beer, put the toilet seat down, turn off the alarm clock, and even pedal a tandem bike.

Speaking of a dog pedaling a tandem bike: That is team member Samantha Valle and her dog Rocket Ruiz!  Sam has been apart of my team since 2005 and is excitingly being featured with her star dog Rocket Ruiz on Zak’s new show, Superfetch! Yep, that’s right folks. So go and get your paws moving everyone and tell all your friends, family, and pets about the new Superfetch show premiering tonight at 8:00pm. You can check out the official Zak George YouTube channel and blog at:  http://www.youtube.com/user/zakgeorge21

Way to go Zak! If the show turns out anything like the early pilot I saw; it is going to be a HUGE HIT!

Today my super star dog Flashy Ferrari turned three years old. She was rescued from the Kansas City Missouri pound back in December 2006. Ferrari was just a little ball of fur when I adopted her. She has always been a bundle of energy; always running, chewing on toys, and bouncing around. She would never sit still and always wanting to play.  Even now, not much has changed!

3 months old

Flashy Ferrari is a super dog and is like the Micheal Jordan of Frisbee catching dogs. She has mastered every part of my show including big air disc catching feats, agility, flyball, high-jumping, incredible dog tricks, and has mastered the crowd participation daredevil stunt in the show. Her 30 seconds of fame came last September when she was asked to be on the Oprah Winfrey Show to jump rope. She made me so proud!

Ferrari is a true gem and a diamond in the rough. After the retirement of “Extreme Pepper” I thought I’d never find another dog like him. Pepper and her are by far the two most talented dogs I’ve ever performed with!  I’m very thankful to have found her in my life as she always brings a smile to my face.  Today I celebrate her third birthday!

3 years old (photo by Paul Ruhter/Gazette)

In search for a lost child

The fur was flying, the dogs were in motion and then out of the corner of my eye I saw four state troopers motioning for me to stop the show. For a split second a few thoughts flew into my mind, “Did I forget to pay a speeding ticket? What did I do wrong? Or did something happen backstage while the show was going on?” I wasn’t quite sure, but I immediately excused myself from the audience in a professional manner. If I was going down, I was going down with dignity!

I walked over to speak with the officer in charge and it appeared we had a missing child out there. The rush of relief that it wasn’t me they were after quickly dissipated with the urge to be a hero and help find that child. I jumped back on the microphone asking for everyone’s attention. The boy was a young 6 year old who went missing in the area. I described him to the audience while I stopped the show. We then proceeded to finish performing. After the show concluded another officer approached me on the field (see above photograph). It appeared they found the child and his brother, but now the parents were missing. I made one final announcement and shortly later the parents were reunited with their kids.

State Fair of Virginia 2009

Sometimes in live entertainment the unexpected can happen. I was able to handle this one very professional. It is rewarding to help in situations like this; situations that matter the most. This instance reminded me of the time I pulled over on the highway to help an elderly couple out of their car that just flipped upside down in the median. Luckily they only had minor cuts and bruises as they were wearing their seat belts. However, since I was the first person on the scene it was all about not over reacting and being calm. It appeared they fell asleep at the wheel and flipped their car in the process. I talked them through it, assuring them everything was going to be okay. I helped them out of their car with the assistance of other passerby’s that also stopped to help. It felt good knowing I was able to help someone in their greatest time of need!

We have three days left here at the State Fair of Virginia. The new fairground location in Doswell, Virginia is awesome! Our performance area is near the entrance tunnel, located on the top of the hill in the agricultural area right next to the Old McDonald’s Farm. We are running three shows daily, so you can catch our cool dogs at 11:00 am, 2:00 pm, and 5:30 pm. Kids come early for a chance at starring in show and being turned into a stunt dog! This is my last state fair of the season. I’ll be headed home soon.

Photo by Kimberly Barnett 2009

The rain was relentless in Nashville this year. The Tennessee State Fair started on September 11th and ran through the 20th. The only day of sunshine was the first two days of the fair. It rained cats and dogs throughout the fair after the opening weekend. The wet weather did detour a lot of people from attending the fair this year. However, for others it did not matter. Many came sporting their rain jackets, ponchos, and umbrellas. We were asked to move our shows indoors on a few occasions; whereby, we produced a very fun trick dog show on their entertainment stage.

The below video was filmed by the local rescue group called “Rock N Acres Rescue”. This footage was taken on a drizzly 9:20pm evening show. The grass was extremely wet so we had to be very careful with the dogs. Even though it was a bit slippery the dogs did incredible!

Action Jackson was glad to finally see the sun again as he hated getting his paws wet.  His first time on the wet field was hilarious! He ran out with his typical enthusiasm, then after getting about half way out on the field he made a sudden stop. He proceeded to walk slowly with his paws lifted up while looking up at me. If he could talk he would have been saying, “Whoa! Wait a second here.. you expect me to perform in this”? It was a classical moment and the look on his face was priceless. The audience even thought it was quite comical. After his initial shock he quickly ignored the soggy field and proceeded to do his signature tricks and stunts.

The Tennessee State Fair staff was a pleasure to work with and made our stay quite comfortable. A & W Southern Sod Farms sponsored our show and provided a very safe and lush grass area for us.  They built up our area a foot off the ground which helped divert the water that pooled around our performance area. It was fun being apart of the entertainment lineup next to Keith King and his “King BMX Stunt Show”. We also enjoyed free homemade ice cream from a local vendor and had some home cooked food from Chef Laundry’s cooking show.

We would like to thank everyone that came out to brave the weather and support the Tennessee State Fair! Thank you for having us Nashville and we hope to see you all again soon.

Photo by David Lassman/The Post-Standard

We finished strong at the New York State Fair in Syracuse on September 7th! Our performances took place just outside the grandstand in the area they called the “Adventure Zone”. Our act was one of four in the zone. We were setup right between the wine tent and the Bear Mountain show. Across from our setup featured the “Wake Board Jam” and next to them you could be mesmerized by the “Pirates of the Sky” acrobats.

Samantha Valle was the big star and received huge attention while performing in her home state. I’m not sure if they were drawn to her stellar hairdo or the new dog tricks she was pulling off. I’m thinking it was a little bit of both! Valle started with the Extreme Canines Stunt Dog show back in 2005. She was brought in as an apprentice trainer for the World’s of Fun theme park production in Kansas City, MO. She currently travels nationwide with our team performing for state fairs, theme parks, theater shows, and corporate events. Valle’s dogs are some of our best in the world and she is definitely one of our top team members. Valle exclaimed, “The New York State Fair was one of the best show experiences I’ve ever had”!

Dynamite opens a show!

Valle has recently taught her dogs to do some very extreme tricks including dogs walking on their front paws across the field, walking backwards, circle backwards, and many more advanced behaviors performed from a distance. Valle newest stunt showcases her dog “Rocket Ruiz” pedaling a tandem bike. She debuted this extreme trick on the new Animal Planet TV show called “Superfetch” set to premiere on October 3rd. (More details on Superfetch and it’s host and former team member Zak George coming soon!)

The stunt dog that started it all, turned 13 years old yesterday on Tuesday September 1st.  Extreme Pepper is the one responsible for the origination of the “Extreme Canines Stunt Show”.  He is a legend in the Frisbee dog and performing dog world. He made it big in the NFL on ABC’s Monday Night Football and appeared on the CBS Early Show live from New York. Pepper has starred in commercials and was even featured in Sports Illustrated magazine back in his day. He and his furry companions have entertained millions in the past 10 years as animal rescue advocates. Their mission: to promote animal rescue, pet adoption, and encourage spay and neutering nationwide. Pepper has also inspired many to spend more time with their dogs at home over the years. He is the 2000 National Champion Frisbee Dog as seen on the Incredible Dog Challenge and was the second runner up in 2001.

Pepper spent his birthday yesterday greeting the audience prior to all the shows, while chomping on his favorite tennis ball.  He was sporting a red bandanna with a yellow star on the front when he pranced out on the field with pride. He pulled off some fun tricks and caught a couple flying discs. Pepper amazed the audience with his “in-motion signature spinning” (chasing his tail) while catching a butterfly throw. As soon as he made the catch Chris proudly stated, “Ladies and gentleman look at that; he’s still got the stuff!”  Kids then guessed his age and the highest guesser said he couldn’t be more than 9 years old. The audience roared with amazement when they found he was now 13 years old.

After the shows it was time for a road trip. Pepper made his way to Taco Bell and had a little bean burrito and some Mexican pizza. He had more dog gone fun when he headed over to the nearby Petsmart to celebrate his birthday. Pepper trotted around the isles and sniffed out his favorite toys. He enjoyed carrying each one around until he found his next selection. He had a fun ride last night and ended his evening playing with all his new toys. He even shared some with his favorite pals.

You can read more about the original Extreme Canine “Pepper” here.

Chris Perondi and Blazing Bentley weave pole racing (Photo by Mike Hodgson)

I am honored to be apart of the New York State Fair entertainment lineup!  Upon arrival on Tuesday, I was directed to my performance area which was a huge patch of concrete. Obviously, due to the nature of our stunts, the dogs can’t perform on cement. The fairs utility crew was very professional and immediately got to work on our performance area.  I had sod brought in and professionally laid to accommodate our high energy show!

The fair started out being a little wet, however, I haven’t had to cancel any shows yet. The sun came out yesterday and sunshine is expected for the remainder of the week. The dogs are staying cool and performing spectacular. The stands have been packed ever since our first show on Thursday. You can check out some news highlights from Channel 9 WSYR and Channel 10 Now!

I am truly enjoying myself here at the great New York State Fair. The grandstand concerts have been a lot of fun. So far I’ve been to three concerts: Gavin DeGraw with Kelly Clarkson, The Fray, and comedian ventriloquist Jeff Dunham.  The Fray was my favorite of the three, however, all the concerts have been very enjoyable. This Saturday I’ll be joining the crowds to see Kid Rock. I’m also hoping to catch Switchfoot at the free stage this week.

Kelly Clarkson (iphone pic)

Gavin Degraw (iphone pic)

Jeff Dunham (Canon G9)

The Fray (Canon G9)

My dogs love to travel!  Their tails are always wagging with delight when they see things getting packed up, because they know something new and exciting is just around the corner. After performing at the Montana Fair we started to head east towards our next stop.  On our way, we decided to take a detour in South Dakota heading south on I-90 towards Mount Rushmore!

When we rolled up to the main entrance I noticed a sign on the clerks window that said “No dogs allowed”. I took a deep breath and thought, “I didn’t come this far to turn back now”. So we continued inside the park hoping they wouldn’t notice the big dog logo’s on the RV.  They didn’t say anything when I paid to enter, so I continued towards the parking area. I got extremely nervous after parking in the cramped RV parking lot. There didn’t appear to be anywhere to let the dogs out and they all needed to stretch and potty. I thought after seeing the “no dogs allowed” signs, I better ask the ranger if I could just let them out really quick. He was very friendly and directed me to the doggy potty area, which was just around the corner.  That was a relief at least. It appeared dogs could come in, but they weren’t allowed anywhere else in the park or on the path up to Mt. Rushmore. They were confined to the potty area and your own vehicle. So to answer your question…. “Is Mount Rushmore dog friendly”?  Unfortunately, it is not a very dog friendly place. I would not recommend taking your dog to Mount Rushmore if you plan on staying long.

We did take a few pictures at the base of the mountain with the dogs. You can see Mount Rushmore in the background, but that is the closest the dogs could get to the monument. I had to leave them to chill and relax in the RV for the remaining part of the trip. They weren’t too happy about it, but I made it up to them at Bear Mountain U.S.A in the Black Hills. This is an amazing wildlife park about 20 minutes from Mount Rushmore where bears walk right next to your car and wolves prowl in their habitat as you drive right by them. We were told to keep our windows up and to stay inside our vehicle at all times. Jackson could see the bears, wolves, buffalo, reindeer, and the rest of the critters through the windows in the truck.  He whined and barked like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. After driving through Bear Mountain we parked in the RV lot at the end. They had a huge grass field adjacent to the parking area. So I took all the dogs out to stretch their legs, run, and play. Some of the staff even came out to watch. I’m currently half way to New York, making a pit stop just outside Chicago. Next stop is the great New York State Fair!

Photo by Paul Ruhter Billings Gazette

The Extreme Canines are catching “BIG AIR” in big sky Montana!  There is still time to come see our show here at MetraPark. Our show times are 3pm, 5pm, and 6:45pm everyday of the Montana Fair. The fair ends this Saturday August 15th, so hurry and get your paws out to the fair!  The Extreme Canines Stunt Dog Show is a must see this year.

We have been receiving excellent media coverage all week! The Billings Gazette newspaper ran a feature story on our show on Monday August 10th, titled “Canines extremely good at their jobs“.  If you missed our KULR channel 8 (NBC) interview Sunday night you can check it out by clicking here.  Yesterday, during our 5pm show we were joined by KTVQ (CBS). They filmed our entire show and did a very thorough interview following the show. The story is scheduled to air at 5:30pm this afternoon. (Check out the interview here!)

So you want to see our performing dogs in action? Well look no further… check out our latest highlight video, filmed exclusively from shows this past weekend! Subscribe now to our YouTube channel and get notified when we post new videos throughout the year.

The Extreme "Big Air Stunt"

Our 2009 “State Fair” tour is underway! We are currently performing at Metra Park for the “MontanaFair” in big sky Billings, Montana. The “MontanaFair” is our second stop out of five state fairs this summer. Our canine entertainment ground act is becoming tradition here as we appear for the third year in a row. Our show is sponsored again by “Caring Hands Veterinarian Hospital“.

Extreme Canines "Trick of the Day"

We hope to have video footage of our high energy Frisbee dogs, high jumping dogs, agility and flyball dogs, and extreme trick dogs in our next blog post. During our shows you’ll experience our incredible dog challenges including Chris Perondi’s famous “Extreme Stunt Dog Triathlon” and our multiple dog “High-Jump Showdown”.

Our 2009 state fair team of performers include show creator and entertainer Chris Perondi, professional dog trainer Samantha Valle, and assistant trainer Usman Riaz. “We are currently traveling with 13 dogs and I strongly feel we are producing the best shows ever this season” raved Chris Perondi.

The Extreme Canines Stunt Dog Show will be appearing at the following state fairs in 2009:

North Dakota State Fair (Minot, ND) – -  July 24th through August 1st

MontanaFair (Billings, MT) - – August 7th through 15th

New York State Fair (Syracuse, NY) - – August 27 through September 7th

Tennessee State Fair (Nashville, TN) – - September 11th through 20th

State Fair of Virginia (Richmond, VA) - – September 24th through October 4th

Ferrari and Sonic next to the GO DOG GO!

All of us needed some fun after picking up our props, fencing, and equipment the day after the North Dakota State Fair ended. The fairgrounds was already pretty deserted and we had a couple days to relax before heading to Metra Park in Billing, MT. We decided it was time to bust out the ball launching machine called the “GO DOG GO!”.  I acquired it for my dogs back in 2002.

My dogs have always loved it! However, it has been awhile since they’ve had a chance to play GODOGGO, as it has been in storage. However, since I moved to my new two acre ranch in California I’ve slowly been trying to unpack my things. I found the “GO DOG GO!” about a week before leaving for my summer tour. So I decided to take it along with me. I thought it would be fun to let the dogs play with it again and let some of the new dogs experience it.

On Sunday, the rain finally stopped and the sun came out. So we headed out for some ball action chaos. The dogs had so much fun chasing balls in the middle of the fairgrounds in Minot, ND.  It was a perfect day to let them give it a go. Sonic was the only one brave enough… ummm or dense enough (haha!) to stand directly in front of the ball launcher on a couple occasions. She didn’t seem to care. I think she was trying to block the balls so the other dogs couldn’t get them. Sonic was also the only one that quickly picked up on the concept of dropping the ball back into the reservoir to reload it. She was a “GO DOG GO!” natural.

The best pop-fly catcher was definitely Ivy; Usmans dog. The rest of the pack pretty much waited for the balls to hit the ground and bounce, then they would chase them down. Abby was pretty clueless. She participated a few times, but really had more fun watching the other dogs running around like chickens chasing the balls. She preferred to soak up the sun!  After a bit, Usman decided to try it out for himself. Let’s just say, next time we bring out the “GO DOG GO!” we are going to put him in a crate. LOL!

Overall, I give the “GO DOG GO!” a five star rating. It’s a great product and a really cool invention. Just be careful and keep your dogs back a couple feet from the launcher when it is firing the balls into the air. It does have a resistance setting that allows you to adjust how high in the air the balls are launched. You can also change the settings allowing balls to launch every 7 seconds to 15 seconds.

GODOGGO! PRODUCT REVIEW

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars!

Pros: Fun for dogs of all ages! Great exercise for toy driven dogs. If your dog digs tennis balls they are going to love it. Less slobber on your hands when playing ball with your dog. It is perfect for a nice sunny day when you feel like being lazy, but still need to get your dog some exercise.

Cons: Must train your dog to stay back and wait for the ball to launch, otherwise they might get frightened by it. Doesn’t shoot the balls fast enough when you have 8 to 10 dogs waiting for a ball on the field. I guess we need a couple more devices to accommodate as many dogs as we are traveling with this summer.

For more information visit the official GODOGGO website at: http://www.godoggoinc.com/

Samantha Valle and Super Freak (Minot Daily News)

The North Dakota State Fair was our first state fair of the season. We are currently on our 2009 State Fair Tour which runs mid-July through the first week of October. The “Extreme Canines Stunt Dog Show” is celebrating 10 years performing the most high energy stunt dog show in the world! We were honored to be invited back to the North Dakota State Fair for 2009. This years state fair production included 13 stunt dogs and three star performers; Chris Perondi (show creator) along with Samantha Valle and Usman Riaz from Long Island, New York. This years addition included four of Samantha’s top dogs along with two new stunt dogs professionally trained by Usman.

It was a pleasure performing for the very enthusiastic crowds in Minot, North Dakota. Everyone we met was so friendly and loved our stunt dogs in action. Jaws dropped when Samantha Valle brought some cool new moves to the fair. Some of the new tricks include dogs walking on their front paws across the field, dogs dancing backwards while circling around their trainer, back flips, dogs limping on cue, reverse chest vaults, body bounces, spinning back stalls, and the new tandem “Trick of the day” which features tandem “paw-stands” by Action Jackson and Rocket Ruiz.

We brought back the crowd favorite “Extreme Canines Triathlon” TM which was invented by Chris Perondi himself. Super Sonic represented the red team once again this year and Dynamite (trained by Samantha Valle) flew through the triathlon at record breaking speeds as she was cheered on by the yellow team. New for this year was team high-jumping!  The two big jumpers rocked it out: Rocket Ruiz vs. Flashy Ferrari. It was “Fur Flying Family Fun” TM for the whole family!

Watch the three minute highlight video from the 2009 North Dakota State Fair (July 24th – August 1st)!!

Abby Cline with Petey and Pompey

The annual La Crosse Riverfest was held July 1st through 5th in the beautiful state of Wisconsin. It was my second year providing river fest entertainment in La Crosse. The shows were a blast as we performed for huge crowds all weekend long.  I had the pleasure of bringing in an assistant trainer named Abby Cline this year.  She is from the Fargo, ND area and has been training and competing with her dogs for over two years. Her Australian cattle dogs Petey and Pompey did a tremendous job for their first time performing in the Extreme Canines Stunt Dog Show. Her flying disc catching pooches flew across the field with their agile abilities. They caught big air and pulled off some awesome flips. Petey tried his paws in my “Extreme Canines Triathlon” throughout the week. It was his first time entering this fast paced racing event. He and Abby did a tremendous job representing the yellow team at Riverfest. They even pulled off a win or two!

Roo Yori and Wallace

On Friday and Saturday I brought in a special guest to be apart of the production. Roo Yori and his national champion Frisbee catching pit bull took the field. You could see the faces of the audience as they couldn’t believe a Pit Bull could be so athletic and talented.  Wallace is no doubt the worlds best Frisbee catching pit bull. It was an honor to have them join us for this years Riverfest! They came from Rochester to join us and are apart of the Minnesota Disc Dog Club.

The fireworks show on Saturday night was spectacular. If you live near the La Crosse, WI area I would highly recommend checking out the annual 4th of July Riverfest next summer. You are guaranteed to have a dog gone great time!