Dog dock diving moves to Greenport Polo Grounds

Soon after Kim Loper opened Harbor Pet in Greenport in 2014, a chance conversation with a vendor planted the seed that would become the North Fork Dog Dock Diving event.

“I was talking to one of my sales reps, and their company sponsored [dock diving] nationwide. And I was like, ‘Oh, that would be such a cool thing to be able to host here,’” said Ms. Loper. “It was just something that just looked like a lot of fun — a good way to get everybody together and enjoy dogs in the water.”

Now in its ninth year, the North Fork’s most high-flying canine competition returns June 7 and 8, inviting both seasoned pros and first-timers to test their mettle at retrieving, high jumping and long-distance dives.

“In the speed retrieve, they set an object at the end of the pool, and the dogs swim to it to see who is the fastest. Second is the high jump, where they raise something in the air so that dogs jump, and they keep raising it to see who can jump the highest. And then the other one is distance, so someone throws an object in the pool, and the dog runs and jumps off the dock to get it,” Ms. Loper explained.

For anyone hesitating to enter their pooch because they aren’t a water-loving breed or a retriever, Ms. Loper stated that there are all kinds of breeds who compete. 

“They’re all over the place. There’s a girl who’s local, she jumps a Malinois. In the past, we used to have a pit bull that actually toured the country. He lived on Long Island — [his name was] Tango. And then [there are] golden retrievers, labs. Anybody can try and jump their dog,” she said.

Many of the entrants are local, but some travel from Connecticut and beyond.

“We do have returning competitors that travel. There’s a group that comes down from upstate New York; I believe someone else comes from Connecticut. There’s a couple local people that compete,” said Ms. Loper.

The dock dive has relocated to a new home at the Greenport polo grounds, and a portion of this year’s proceeds will be shared between the Greenport Skate Park and the Greenport Fire Department. Ms. Loper has been on the board of the skatepark for about two years, and phase one of the renovation project is nearly funded.

“We wanted to make it a more of a community event. It’s still a slow time in Greenport for most of the businesses. So I was looking to see how this could generate more people into Greenport, considering my business in Greenport as well,” said Ms. Loper. “I thought this would be a fitting way to get us over the hurdle [at the skatepark,] because we need about $18,000 left — the funds to raise to break ground in the renovation’s first phase. And then, we got the fire department involved. They’ll be cooking our food, donating part of those proceeds back to them. I just really wanted to make it a community event and bring it back to Greenport.”

Rena Wilhelm, founder of Greenport Skate Park, the organization behind the renovation, was thrilled to partner with her long-time friend on this event. 

“[The point of] bringing it to Greenport was to try to envelop as much of the community as possible, and not just the residents, not just the fire department; it was to bring in the business district, and the administration. All hands are on deck for this. And it’s just a really fantastic way to unite all of Greenport,” said Ms. Wilhelm.

Greenport has a reputation as a dog-friendly village, something Ms. Wilhelm said they were happy to lean into.

“Greenport is probably one of the most dog-friendly villages I’ve ever seen in that life. Kim gives out her handmade pet treats to store owners, and because the village is so dog-friendly, most stores allow dogs to come in,” said Ms. Wilhelm. “It’s rare that any dog will refuse that treat. So she’s already kind of found a way to celebrate Greenport as a dog-friendly village.”

As previously reported, the skate park has made significant progress in 2025. Since partnering with Dominick Marcoccia of Marco Masonry Corp., they have redesigned their plans and phase one is almost fully funded. Ms. Wilhelm is hopeful the dock diving will make the difference.

“This might actually push us over the edge to where we can focus on having fun and skating with the kids. And then, you know, the plans will be presented to the village by Dom, who’s designed the phase one,” said Ms. Wilhelm. “If all everything’s a go, then we’ll break ground in fall. He kind of gave us about a three-month turnaround. So all of this could be happening very, very quickly, and this is an opportunity to secure everything that we’ve been working for towards for the last five years.”

To order tickets or enter your dog in the dock diving competition, visit www.lifeisgrruff.com.