A main attraction at the Tulsa State Fair for the last 18 years is the spinning, jumping, and flying stunt dogs.
You have heard of the commands sit, stay, and roll over, but what Perondi's Stunt Dogs do is circus-level tricks. Chris Perondi started training dogs in 1996 and three years later turned that into a way to entertain people.
His business is called Stunt Dog Show Productions.
"What really separates us from the pack is we are very interactive, so we are getting the crowd chanting "higher" during our high jump challenge and chanting "it is dog-gone fun," he continued saying, "It is really a lot of fun, not just for the little kids, but also for adults."
9-year-old Vinny Valentino is one of the stars of the show. "He is half Border Collie, half Aussie, and 100% bossy, but he is a sweet boy," said Perondi. "We taught him a lot of tricks over the years and of course, he knows agility and frisbee, he can even jump rope."
The show not only gives dogs like Vinny a chance to flex their skills, but a second chance at life. Perondi said each one was rescued from shelters across the country. "I have found that going into those shelters and just seeing the looks on these dogs' faces that are just stuck in cages, they need life, they need to experience life," he added.
In this arena, they get to run, jump, play, and are loved on every day. "These guys capture our hearts; we love them so much," Perondi said. "Their tails are wagging because they are essentially just playing out here, they do not know they are performing."
Without even knowing it these dogs bring joy to everyone who comes to a show. They perform daily at the Tulsa State Fair on Central Park Hall Lawn at 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.