A dozen canines took center stage at the Stanislaus County Fair Monday afternoon and entertained hundreds of audience members with seemingly impossible high-flying stunts.
The K9 Kings dog show at the fair mixes agility stunts, disc golf big air jumps and what can only be called doggie yoga.
“I love sharing my loyal, friendly, talented and diverse group of K9 Kings with people around the world,” said K9 Kings trainer J.D. Platt. “As a self-taught trainer for over 16 years, I've proved with a lot of hard work and patience anything is possible with human’s best friend.”
Over the last 14 years, Platt has developed his own unique style of entertainment featuring his 13 canines.
“I’ve been blessed with entertaining millions of people around the United States and have shared with people my special and diverse team of dogs,” said Platt.
In addition to entertaining, Platt competes around the country at disc dog events and has trained a four-time world finalist, FDDO national champions, multiple state champs and a two-time Purina national finalist.
In 2008, Platt and his dog Galaxy received third place on the reality show competition “Greatest American Dog” where over 150 million people worldwide saw him compete for $250,000.
Along with Platt and Galaxy, the K9 Kings feature Josh Motzkus and his team of three flying dogs. Motzkus’ accomplishments include winning the California State Championship, training a three-time world finalist and having appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show with his dog “Kas.”
The duo’s flying dog show features the largest meet and greet pet area, the fastest Frisbee dog in the world, the first daredevil dog agility, 13 different breeds including one of the rarest breeds and a special appearance by a famous superhero. Each show includes crowd participation, free giveaways and high energy action from start to finish.
“Every single show is different because with animals you never know what’s going on inside of them. You have to work with it and improve along the way when something goes wrong. The most important thing to do is to have fun with it and your audience will enjoy it as well,” said Pratt.
Preparing for the show can be hectic when dealing with multiple canines. When training for an event, Platt and Motzkus have the perfect combination to get their athletes ready for a show.
“My training is based around extreme consistency, patience, repetition, body and hand language plus good old-fashioned problem solving, rules, exercise and affection. Being a calm assertive leader of the pack along with a lot of love, playing, toys and fun is the ultimate motivator in my training and the relationship I have with my dogs,” said Platt.
The K9 Kings Flying Dog Show will be held at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday near the N. Broadway Main Gate entrance of the Stanislaus County Fair.
