Make no bones about it – this is a competition dog lovers will not want to miss.
Flyball teams from across Scotland will descend on Aberdeenshire for the fast-paced competition, and spectators are being urged to go along to cheer them on.
Originating in America in the 1960s, flyball is a relay-style race where teams of four dogs race across a parallel course of hurdles to retrieve balls from a mechanical box and return.
This weekend, Inverurie-based team Scratch Squad – who have been competing nationally in the fast-growing sport for three years – will host the competition at Milton of Crathes, near Banchory.
Teams are expected to enter from across Scotland and the north of England, with local competition provided in the form of Banchory Bravehearts and Kingswells-based Tartan Tearaways.
Marguerite Fleming is one of the Scratch Squad’s founders and an experienced judge who helped officiate the event at both Crufts and the British Championships last month.
She said: “When we first started flyball in Scotland, the sport was relatively unknown with only a handful of teams mainly in Dundee and the Lomond area.
“Since then the fast-paced, action-based nature of the sport has really driven its appeal and it is great to see teams starting up all over the country. We look forward to giving them a competition to remember in Banchory.”
The competitions will run from 8am-4pm on Saturday, and 8am-3pm the next day. Entry is free.