St. James Student And His Dog Win 3rd In International Championship

SMITHTOWN, NY — Charlie Campbell, a fourth grader at St. James Elementary School, loves playing with his dog, Gilly. But when Charlie and his chocolate lab played together recently, they took home a prize, according to the Smithtown school district.

Charlie and Gilly recently earned third place of all junior handlers in the International Dog Sports Dock Diving Championship held in Mount Airy, Maryland. Dock diving is a fun sport which consists of a dock and a pool.

"From 1-10, it was a 10 out of 10 of fun," Charlie said in a news release.

Teams are made up of a handler, who signals the dog to go and throws the toy, a holder, who holds the dog on the dock, and a dog, who chases the toy into the pool. The distance the dog jumps into the pool is measured and points are awarded for how far the dog jumps.

Charlie was the "handler" and said he looks forward to participating in more competitions with Gilly.