Watch: Dog Spends So Much Time in Bowling Alley That Now He Knows How to Bowl
More than just furry companions, dogs are smart. No really, we don’t give them enough credit.
Perhaps it’s their propensity to do daffy things like chase their tail. It could also have something to do with their brazen and public grooming practices.
Whatever the reason, it’s easy to consider the loyal four-legged friends as dim-witted, even when presented with countless videos of dogs doing amazing things from rescuing people and animals to independently sledding down their snow-covered backyards.
But dogs were bred to work. They are used in the fields, as police officers, and even as service animals assisting the disabled.
With consistency, dedication, encouragement, and some tasty treats, you can teach your pooch to do virtually anything.
Always looking for stimulation, they are eager learners particularly interested in the activities of humans.
Blake is an 8-month-old Goldendoodle who lives in Emmet, Idaho. His owner, Katelyn Simpson, owns KT’s Bowling Lanes and has bowled competitively.
Simpson has been bowling since she was 3, and competed at Pikeville University in Kentucky. She now acts as a graduate assistant for the women’s team — that is, when she’s not training Blake.
Simpson started bringing Blake to the alley regularly from a very young age.
Blake loved his time there, so when he was 12-weeks — just tall enough to reach the equipment — Simpson tried to train Blake to bowl.
“We always thought it would be fun to teach him how to bowl, so basically as soon as he got tall enough… we put a ball up there and tried to just see what happened,” Simpson explained. “[we] kinda helped him, showed him a couple times just pushed the ball with his arms and he caught on and just started doing it on his own.”
If you haven’t been bowling in a while, in addition to lane bumpers that prevent kids from constant gutter balls, a contraption that looks like a slide has been added to help young bowlers participate before they can skillfully manage the heavy balls.
The ball is placed at the top of the slide and then, at the participant’s pushing, the ball rolls down the lane.
Simpson set up the slide and put a treat above the ball. Blake was a natural, repeatedly and excitedly pushing the ball. “I think his high game is like a 93. He gets strikes every once in awhile, pretty good spare shooter,” Simpson boasted.
Blake the Bowling Doodle is loved at the alley and across the internet via his two social media accounts. He even has a snazzy bowling uniform. Blake now has a little brother who they are excited to train, but is yet too small.
Blake reminds us that dogs are smart and able to pick up on anything you show them. He also shows us that a poorly behaved dog isn’t due to their fundamental lack of intelligence, but a deficit in guidance opportunities.
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