"Little Morgan" Plus " Big Air" Equals Huge Airtime!
By Ellen English

I think he just told him to go jump in the lake! joked the announcer as he watched handler Mike Jackson whisper in the ear of his eager black Labrador just before his next Big Air long jump. Little Morgan listens well. The 2002 Gold Medal Winner of the Great Outdoor Games Big Air event, hosted by ESPN, has brought a whole new meaning to the event's name. Out-jumping the other competitors by almost 3 feet, Morgan brought the crowd to its feet with his gravity defying, world record breaking leap of 26 feet, 6 inches!

When asked what he really whispered to Morgan, Mike jokes that his dog just likes to know how far he needs to go! What he's actually doing is getting him pumped up by saying such things as you're a big black timber wolf! to the 53 pound, 3 year old Lab who is a small but mighty bundle of energy.

Morgan doesn't take much psyching up though, he's a natural born retrieving fanatic. With field trial champions such as " Tru Marc's Zipcode" and Itching to Go on one side of his family tree and famous pointing Labradors like Full Choke on the other, Morgan was destined to be a fine working dog. His Big Air career developed out of his desire to beat his bigger cousins (Mikes brother in laws Labs) to the retrieve during playtime at the local lake. Jumping further gave him the advantage he craved.

Having attended Minnesota's Game Fair outdoor festival for many years, Mike thought their jumping event would be a good place for Morgan's first competition. Morgan beat out about 500 dogs during the 6-day event! It was suggested that Morgan then go to a regional to try and receive an invitation from the Great Outdoor Games. Mike entered him in the Indianapolis indoor regional where Morgan not only won but also tied the world record of 231. He had secured his place among the 12 dogs that are invited to the national Big Air: regional winners, longest jumpers, and the 3 top finishers from the prior year.

I just had to figure out how he wanted to do it Mike explains when asked about preparing his Lab for long jump competition. Since Morgan had already been trained to " handle," or work, from hand signals in the field, for both upland game and waterfowl, Mike just had to coordinate his signature Morgan, Morgan, Morgannnn! command and tossing the Dead Fowl Trainer (dummy duck) with the Labs launch from the dock. Morgan's big-hearted desire does the rest.

Even at home, retrieving is never far from the mind of Morgan. The two watch hunting shows together, and when a hunter downs a bird, Morgan dashes to the TV and places his paws on the screen! When a hunter misses a bird and it flies off, Morgan races around to the next room to head em off! Mike chuckles.

He also relates a remarkable story of coincidence when asked how Morgan got his name. For as long as Mike can remember, he had wanted to one day name a dog either Dalton, Dakota or Morgan-three favorite names he'd gotten attached to over time. While reviewing the puppy's papers, or pedigree, for inspiration in choosing a formal name, he discovered that national pheasant competition champions Max of Royal Dalton and Royal Dalton of Dakota were both in his background! Clearly, Morgan was the only choice and the puppy was destined to be with Mike, who was looking for a smaller Lab who'd be much easier to handle in a duck boat and could run all day! Maximum Choke Morgan is his full name and the nickname Little Morgan came from the inevitable comparisons with his cousins, who are almost twice his size.

Maximum certainly describes the crowds at the Big Air event held in Lake Placid, NY. It has become one of the most popular events at the annual Great Outdoor Games with over 7000 people filling the stands for every round. Morgan has no problem with the throng of spectators however, he's very focused on the job at hand explains Mike. So much so that he can wear himself out with anticipation during the long wait between rounds. The secret remedy for Morgan's manic state is Mikes sister, Jenny Green, who along with her husband Greg, accompanied the team to NY. Jenny sat with Morgan between rounds while Mike stayed out of sight, to cut down on the Labs expectation. This also allowed Mike an opportunity to visit with the crowds, including a group of international fans who turned out to be ballet dancers in town for a performance. They commented to Mike in broken English that we jump high but not as high as the Little Morgan! Morgan also got to mix and mingle by visiting other venues via his own photo ID " competitor badge." The two were almost overwhelmed with greetings from the enthusiastic spectators.

What does the future hold for this amazing Lab? Well, besides lots more of the push, pose and plunge routine, as an ESPN commentator described the Big Air, Morgan will continue to retrieve on land and in the house while Mike searches for a suitable mate to breed him to. Who knows: perhaps a whole litter of high-flying Labs is in his not too far-fetched future!














For more information on the canine long jump, visit Dock Dogs.