YOU may not have heard of Flyball – the team sport for dogs.

Neither had Cris Jones, who lives in Fyfield, until she was looking for something fun to do with her Gordon Setter Rhum last year.

Rhum was the first of her breed ever registered to play the sport, and has earned her first 200 points.

Flyball is a relay race for dogs with tennis balls.

Two teams of four dogs take it in turns to race each other up a course of hurdles and at the end each has to hit a button which puts a tennis ball into their mouth, then they race back and ‘tag’ the next runner.

Dogs are awarded points for how fast they complete the race, from five to 15.

Mrs Jones, 62, who lives with husband Andre, said: “I’ve always had dogs but I always wanted a Gordon Setter puppy [a black and tan breed from Scotland].

“I got Rhum in August 2013 because the breeder in Lincolnshire asked if I would take her.”

She started searching for something fun for them to do together and discovered Abingdon Flyball team the Mad Mutts. She took Rhum to her first training session with them in Southmoor this time last year, but it was far from love at first sight.

She recalled: “Rhum just stood beside me, wasn’t interested in anything. I think the trainer wrote her off, but I was determined.”

So Mrs Jones, a mum-ofthree, took Rhum home and taught her to play with a tennis ball.

She said: “I would throw it up and down and get her all excited saying, ‘Look at the ball! Look at the ball!’.”

She will be competing at a Mad Mutts competition weekend at Acremead Kennels, Milton Road, Abingdon, today and tomorrow from 8.30am to 6pm and visitors are welcome.