If you ask Taylor Brower of Spokane, Washington, about her dog “Tobi,” she’ll say he’s special. “If anything rare is going to happen, it’s going to happen to Tobi,” she says. And she’s not kidding! Her Great Dane is a champion record holder in the world of dog diving sports. At 7 years old, he’s got a lot of experience under his belt, and has overcome a lot. Tobi has survived bloat, three colonic torsions, and defied the odds each time these conditions threatened his life.
Tobi competed at the 2024 AKC Diving Dogs Premier Cup, held in collaboration with North America Diving Dogs (NADD) in Aurora, Colorado, where he hopes to lead the pack with a placement title—and maybe even break some more records in the process. Still, in his owner’s eyes, he’s more than a fierce competitor — he’s a once-in-a-lifetime companion.
Growing up, Brower had a Pug, a Pomeranian, and two Miniature Pinschers. In other words, small dogs. Yet, she always had an affinity for Great Danes. One fateful day, when she was working at a doggy daycare, Brower’s co-worker received a call.
Taylor Brower
“It was from somebody that was asking where they could take a 12-week-old Great Dane puppy because they had an emergency and had to move back away to California, and I said, ‘Um, me, me, me, me, me!’ And yeah, the rest is history. I met them that night [and] brought him home,” she says.
Standing 36 inches at the withers, Tobi is more than a pet that crowds Brower’s bed at night: he’s her heart dog. He’s also a “perfect angel,” “office dog,” and “couch potato,” she says.
At her wedding, Brower wasn’t the only one who walked down the aisle. Tobi joined her maid of honor as part of the procession! “He’s definitely a mama’s boy,” Brower gushes. “He’ll do anything I ask him.”
Unlike many canine athletes, Tobi didn’t start competing in sports at an early age. This senior dog didn’t start competing and breaking records until last year! Just like how Tobi entered Brower’s life by chance seven years ago, it was by chance he discovered his love of dock diving.
“Ever since he was a puppy, I would take him to my lake place, and I just one day started throwing his toy off the dock at the lake, and he started just bouncing, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is fun, this is a really cool thing,'” Brower says.
While on her honeymoon, Brower noticed there was a dock diving trial taking place. “So we went for a trial, and that’s where it all began … We just started throwing the bumper in the pool, and he went off the ramp, and then he started jumping off the dock, and the owner of the facility said, ‘You need to get him into this.’ And so we did that day.”
Taylor Brower
Aside from a love of toys and the water, what motivates Tobi? For many owners of Great Danes, the answer is obvious. “Food is the way to his heart,” Brower says. This dog will do almost anything for the taste of freeze-dried minnows. He’s also a fan of carrying around his checkered ball and kneading his hedgehog toy.
Tobi regularly competes in events hosted by NADD. For the 2024 season, Tobi secured two regional qualifiers: one for Distance Jump and the other for Air Retrieve. He also earned an invitation to the National Showcase in Hydro Dash. Out of 42 jumps, he has a season average of 25 feet and seven inches.
These achievements have made Tobi the 2024 Best Breed for Great Danes in NADD Distance. He’s also the first Great Dane to get a regional invite for Distance Jump, Air Retrieve, and Hydro Dash. And let’s not forget: this dog is 7 years old!
“You see him in sports, you see him at dock diving, and it’s a whole different dog,” Brower shares. “He’s barking, lunging, grabbing, and pulling me up the ramp. Just you wouldn’t think it’s the same dog, especially being that he’s 7 years old. You would look at him, and you would think that this dog is maybe like 3 or 4. No, he’s 7.”
Taylor Brower
When Tobi was just a year old, he began having symptoms of bloat, which Great Danes are prone to, a life-threatening condition in which a dog’s stomach fills with gas and stops circulation to vital organs. Thanks to Brower’s experience in the veterinary field, she was able to spot these symptoms and save Tobi’s life.
But the medical scares unfortunately didn’t stop there. In February 2021, Tobi suffered colonic torsion — another life-threatening condition where the colon rotates around the organ that attaches the intestines to the abdominal wall. Then, it happened the following year, in 2022. And again this May.
Brower remembers when Tobi had a medical emergency before her wedding. She remembers, “I’m like, ‘This dog needs to be down the aisle with me.’ And he did walk down the aisle with my maid of honor, and it was absolutely beautiful. Just a few months later, after he recovered, and then the next one happened, and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, why?'”
She expresses her deep gratitude to Tobi’s veterinary team, who were instrumental in saving her beloved dog’s life. “I owe the people in Minnesota when Tobi had his issue. We were 1,300 miles from home, and they went above and beyond for him, and they didn’t even know us as normal clients. And I owe them his life.”
Taylor Brower
Tobi will next compete at the AKC Diving Dogs Premier Cup and plans to arrive in style, riding in Brower’s new Sprinter van. His sister, 3-year-old “Dolores,” a fellow Great Dane and Tobi’s biggest cheerleader, will also join him at the event.
Tobi also has a packed 2025 dock diving season ahead. He will compete for the Dock Elite Advanced Title, which will automatically secure a regional invitation for next year’s Distance event. He’ll also work toward an Air Retrieve invite, where he could have the chance to shatter a record.
“We’ll be jumping as a veteran next year because he will be turning 8, and I’m like, ‘Okay, bittersweet moment for sure.'” Brower shares. “But I will be happy regardless of what he does. He could jump 12 feet. He could jump two feet for all I care. What matters [is] that the dog is having fun.”
The post Champion Dock Diving Great Dane ‘Tobi’ Competes in the Diving Dogs Premier Cup appeared first on American Kennel Club.
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Tobi competed at the 2024 AKC Diving Dogs Premier Cup, held in collaboration with North America Diving Dogs (NADD) in Aurora, Colorado, where he hopes to lead the pack with a placement title—and maybe even break some more records in the process. Still, in his owner’s eyes, he’s more than a fierce competitor — he’s a once-in-a-lifetime companion.
A One of a Kind Dog
Growing up, Brower had a Pug, a Pomeranian, and two Miniature Pinschers. In other words, small dogs. Yet, she always had an affinity for Great Danes. One fateful day, when she was working at a doggy daycare, Brower’s co-worker received a call.
Taylor Brower
“It was from somebody that was asking where they could take a 12-week-old Great Dane puppy because they had an emergency and had to move back away to California, and I said, ‘Um, me, me, me, me, me!’ And yeah, the rest is history. I met them that night [and] brought him home,” she says.
Standing 36 inches at the withers, Tobi is more than a pet that crowds Brower’s bed at night: he’s her heart dog. He’s also a “perfect angel,” “office dog,” and “couch potato,” she says.
At her wedding, Brower wasn’t the only one who walked down the aisle. Tobi joined her maid of honor as part of the procession! “He’s definitely a mama’s boy,” Brower gushes. “He’ll do anything I ask him.”
Making a Splash in the Dock Diving World
Unlike many canine athletes, Tobi didn’t start competing in sports at an early age. This senior dog didn’t start competing and breaking records until last year! Just like how Tobi entered Brower’s life by chance seven years ago, it was by chance he discovered his love of dock diving.
“Ever since he was a puppy, I would take him to my lake place, and I just one day started throwing his toy off the dock at the lake, and he started just bouncing, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is fun, this is a really cool thing,'” Brower says.
While on her honeymoon, Brower noticed there was a dock diving trial taking place. “So we went for a trial, and that’s where it all began … We just started throwing the bumper in the pool, and he went off the ramp, and then he started jumping off the dock, and the owner of the facility said, ‘You need to get him into this.’ And so we did that day.”
Taylor Brower
Aside from a love of toys and the water, what motivates Tobi? For many owners of Great Danes, the answer is obvious. “Food is the way to his heart,” Brower says. This dog will do almost anything for the taste of freeze-dried minnows. He’s also a fan of carrying around his checkered ball and kneading his hedgehog toy.
Who Says Old Dogs Can’t Learn New Tricks?
Tobi regularly competes in events hosted by NADD. For the 2024 season, Tobi secured two regional qualifiers: one for Distance Jump and the other for Air Retrieve. He also earned an invitation to the National Showcase in Hydro Dash. Out of 42 jumps, he has a season average of 25 feet and seven inches.
These achievements have made Tobi the 2024 Best Breed for Great Danes in NADD Distance. He’s also the first Great Dane to get a regional invite for Distance Jump, Air Retrieve, and Hydro Dash. And let’s not forget: this dog is 7 years old!
“You see him in sports, you see him at dock diving, and it’s a whole different dog,” Brower shares. “He’s barking, lunging, grabbing, and pulling me up the ramp. Just you wouldn’t think it’s the same dog, especially being that he’s 7 years old. You would look at him, and you would think that this dog is maybe like 3 or 4. No, he’s 7.”
Taylor Brower
This Dock Diving Champion Has Nine Lives
When Tobi was just a year old, he began having symptoms of bloat, which Great Danes are prone to, a life-threatening condition in which a dog’s stomach fills with gas and stops circulation to vital organs. Thanks to Brower’s experience in the veterinary field, she was able to spot these symptoms and save Tobi’s life.
But the medical scares unfortunately didn’t stop there. In February 2021, Tobi suffered colonic torsion — another life-threatening condition where the colon rotates around the organ that attaches the intestines to the abdominal wall. Then, it happened the following year, in 2022. And again this May.
Brower remembers when Tobi had a medical emergency before her wedding. She remembers, “I’m like, ‘This dog needs to be down the aisle with me.’ And he did walk down the aisle with my maid of honor, and it was absolutely beautiful. Just a few months later, after he recovered, and then the next one happened, and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, why?'”
She expresses her deep gratitude to Tobi’s veterinary team, who were instrumental in saving her beloved dog’s life. “I owe the people in Minnesota when Tobi had his issue. We were 1,300 miles from home, and they went above and beyond for him, and they didn’t even know us as normal clients. And I owe them his life.”
Taylor Brower
What’s Next for This Amazing Dane?
Tobi will next compete at the AKC Diving Dogs Premier Cup and plans to arrive in style, riding in Brower’s new Sprinter van. His sister, 3-year-old “Dolores,” a fellow Great Dane and Tobi’s biggest cheerleader, will also join him at the event.
Tobi also has a packed 2025 dock diving season ahead. He will compete for the Dock Elite Advanced Title, which will automatically secure a regional invitation for next year’s Distance event. He’ll also work toward an Air Retrieve invite, where he could have the chance to shatter a record.
“We’ll be jumping as a veteran next year because he will be turning 8, and I’m like, ‘Okay, bittersweet moment for sure.'” Brower shares. “But I will be happy regardless of what he does. He could jump 12 feet. He could jump two feet for all I care. What matters [is] that the dog is having fun.”
The post Champion Dock Diving Great Dane ‘Tobi’ Competes in the Diving Dogs Premier Cup appeared first on American Kennel Club.
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