When Bonnie Scott and her dog “Kiddo” step onto the field, they bring energy and precision. That combination earned Scott the UpDog Freestyle World Champion title in 2022 and 2023, and she’s ready to bring that enthusiasm to the AKC UpDog Invitational.
The AKC UpDog Invitational Presented by GEICO will take place on November 8-9 at the Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, FL. You can watch all the action from the the event at home on ESPN2 on Sunday, November 23.
From a Brooklyn Park to the World Stage
Scott didn’t set out to build a freestyle career. In 2017, while living in Brooklyn, she brought home her first dog, “Mars,” from a Long Island rescue. From the start, Mars loved learning. They breezed through manners classes, sampled agility, and gradually discovered Disc Dog.
Soon, a small community formed around a local K9 Toss & Fetch League that met during off‑leash hours in Prospect Park. “It was wall‑to‑wall dogs,” Scott remembers. They’d set up the field, throw, laugh, and learn. Mars took to it immediately — “a beautiful jumper,” as Scott puts it — and competition followed. UpDog games led to freestyle workshops, then to public demos like AKC Meet the Breeds at the Javits Center. Performing in front of a crowd clicked for Scott. “I never thought I’d want to do that,” she says. “But as soon as I did, I loved it.”
Then, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the world paused in March 2020, Scott poured her energy into training, filming, and submitting routines to online disc events. That June, she added a second dog to the team: Kiddo. The plan to perform more seriously moved from an idea to part of their everyday routine. “It just became our life,” Scott says. “A few strange, global happenstances pushed us into it, and Kiddo changed everything.”
The Week Before a Big Stage
Most weeks, when there’s no competition on the calendar, Scott keeps training varied and short: sets of tricks, jump-and-catch drills, conditioning, or a simple toss-and-fetch session. As an event like the AKC UpDog Invitational approaches, her plan shifts from focusing on specific skills to their whole routine.
“We put the full routine together once a day,” she explains. “I’ll find a bigger space, map the field, bring the music and a timer, and walk the routine, so I know where every disc needs to be for two minutes and 15 seconds.” She resists running the whole program too often. “It’s a lot for both of us, so we do one complete run, then isolate one or two trouble spots, adjust, and rest.”
Teaching New Teams to Lead With Joy
Scott often teaches competitive disc and freestyle seminars, and she sees the same early hurdle over and over: new handlers tighten up. “People want their backhand to be perfect right away,” she says. “The mechanics matter, but levity matters just as much. If you lock up, your dog will feel it.”
Her first lesson isn’t a trick; it’s a mindset. “Be the most fun thing your dog encounters that day,” Scott says. “Freestyle thrives when the dog wants to be right in your space — touching you, vaulting, rebounding, driving into play. That means you have to bring energy and drop the self-criticism. Your dog has a choice. Make the choice easy.”
Stadium Lights and End Zone Catches
If Scott sounds comfortable under pressure, it’s because she loves the moment. Recent halftime shows, including a New York Giants game, have given her and Kiddo the kind of stage most athletes dream about. “The first time I stepped into a packed NFL stadium, I cried,” she admits. “Perfect grass. 70,000 people. You hear the crowd track a long throw into the end zone; the dog launches, and when she sticks it, the place erupts. There’s nothing like it.”
Basketball and baseball crowds have shown the same appreciation. Still, Scott hopes more competitors experience that roar. “I’m excited about the Invitational,” she says. “Not everyone gets to play in a stadium, but the more we can bring a true event atmosphere to Disc, the more people we’ll inspire.”
Scott is emphatic about exposure. She discovered freestyle in part because well‑produced videos helped the sport look as dynamic as it feels. “UpDog has worked hard to make disc more public‑facing and to build media partnerships,” she says. “That helps someone outside the sport say, ‘Wow — maybe my dog and I could try that.'”
She believes the Invitational can do what great showcases always do: invite new teams in, give current competitors a professional stage, and present the best of canine‑human teamwork in a way that resonates beyond the sport. “Freestyle, done well, highlights what both species bring to the partnership,” Scott says. “It’s joyful, and it’s accessible.”
Mars, Kiddo, and What’s Next
Mars may be easing toward retirement from big‑stage freestyle, but she isn’t done working — or playing. She costars with Scott in multi‑dog trick sets, still competes in crossover UpDog games, and enjoys what the family calls “Mars happy hour” at the creek near their upstate New York home. “She was my first,” Scott says, “and she’ll be my buddy forever.”
Kiddo’s competitive career is still on the rise. After the AKC UpDog Invitational, Scott plans to aim for the UpDog International Finals in April, along with other world‑level events like Skyhoundz, USDDN, and AWI. In between, they’ll keep performing at halftime shows and taking on the occasional commercial or acting job. “We’re still learning what we can do together,” Scott says. “More podiums would be great. But the point is to bring people joy.”
Whether she’s coaching a first-time thrower or counting down to a music cue on a stadium sound system, Scott returns to the same north star: make it fun. “Stay loose, keep the flow, and let your dog feel how much you love playing together,” she says. “That’s where freestyle really starts.”
Catch! The AKC UpDog Invitational Presented by GEICO will premiere on ESPN2 on Sunday, November 23 at 1PM ET. You won’t want to miss these high-flying dog teams in action.