Uniting dog lovers worldwide: Toss & Fetch League kicks off Hall of Fame Disc Dogs
CANTON, Ohio — In 2015, Mark Vitullo founded the Toss & Fetch League in Stow, Ohio, following a lifelong passion for K9 Frisbee that began in 1977. During a weekend music festival in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he witnessed his first dog Frisbee competition. Inspired by this event, Mark started playing Frisbee with his dogs, turning a casual backyard activity into a competitive pursuit. In 1997, he and his white German Shepherd, Luke, won their first local Frisbee dog competition in Cleveland, sparking further participation in local events. After Luke passed away, Mark adopted another German Shepherd, Lulu Von Whitedheim, whose talent and speed in Frisbee led them to compete in regional and national competitions. In 2012, Lulu helped Mark win the World Championship in Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of four.
Disc Dog competitions are traditionally held on weekends, but Mark saw an opportunity to create a more frequent and accessible format. Ohio Disc Dogs began a weeknight league for local players, providing fun, fellowship, and practice. Inspired by the success of this local league, Mark challenged his friend Scott Jones from Disc Dogs of Michigan to a five-week competition between their clubs. This friendly rivalry in 2015 marked the birth of the K9 Frisbee Toss & Fetch League.
The K9 Frisbee Worldwide League is a global community dedicated to the sport of K9 Frisbee, also known as “disc dogging.” Founded by Mark, the League has grown to include over 200 cities worldwide, with more than 7,000 active members. The League provides a friendly and supportive environment for dog lovers to bond with their pets, engage in healthy competition, and enjoy the outdoors.
The Canton club, Hall of Fame Disc Dogs, is very excited to kick off this next season! Our goal in bringing K9 Toss & Fetch to Canton was to get more people involved in this evolving sport. There are clubs all over Ohio, many of which hold boot camps and try-it events to get newbies out on the frisbee field! If you cannot attend one of those events but are still interested in learning more about frisbee, you can simply just show up. It is the most welcoming dog sport and anyone on our teams would happily show you the ropes and help get you started.
I found Toss & Fetch when I was competing with my dogs in a local dock diving competition. After the dock diving event, Toss & Fetch was setting up in a field and I walked over to see what it was. Next thing I knew I was throwing a frisbee for my dogs and hoping they would catch it! Seeing how much they have grown to love frisbee in the last 4 years has really kept me motivated to continue to compete, especially as we play even in the snow here in Ohio!
Every club needs their club members to take turns judging and keeping score. Clubs will train new members how to do this so everyone can participate. Judging and keeping score is a great way to learn all the rules of Toss & Fetch and a great opportunity to get to know other teammates and their dogs. Every year, there is a K9 Toss & Fetch world championship event where you compete worldwide against all other Toss & Fetch Clubs!
The Canton Club is holding a kickoff event on Monday, September 23rd at 6 pm. This is a human-only event and free for anyone who wants to stop out and learn more about k9 toss and fetch. Our season officially starts Monday, September 30th at 6 pm.
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