canton: Remi was an uncontrollable ball of energy when Tom Dropik agreed to give the black Labrador-German shepherd mix three weeks to learn some manners before sending him back to an animal rescue group. That was just about a year ago, said Dropik, a dog trainer from New Prague, Minn.The Midwest Animal Reserve (MARS) asked Dropik to give the pup, rescued from Missouri, one more chance to see whether he could be tamed enough to find a suitable home.“He was a cannonball of energy bouncing everywhere,” Dropik said. “I needed to be able to put some control over him.”On Sunday, the high-strung Remi put that energy to use, winning first place in the Speed Retrieve class at the DockDogs World Championship at the Stark County Fair. The dog and his handler are sponsored by Team Stihl, maker of chain saws and power tools.“I’m happy to get this kind of reward for that kind of record,” Dropik said as he picked up the championship trophy. The champion pooch has lived with Dropik, his wife and their two young daughters for the past year.The competition was for the “elite of the elite,” Dropik said.DockDogs, a group based in Medina, organizes competitions for dogs that include timed events in jumping, swimming and retrieving toys from a body of water, such as a pool or lake. The best competitors have the strongest toy drive to launch themselves off the end of a dock and into the water at full speed to get a favorite toy thrown by the handler. The three-day competition, an invitation-only event, ended Sunday with the Iron Dog finals, which incorporates all three events: Big Air, Extreme Vertical and Speed Retrieve. There are separate events for young handlers.Steve Bacon, vice president of Buckeye DockDogs, attended the event with his daughter, Taylor, 14, who competed in the Young Handler division in the Big Air class with her chocolate Labrador retriever, Zeus.“I first saw it on ESPN and thought I would try the event. It’s a great family sport,” said Bacon, of North Canton.Seventy-five competitors were invited from across the country and Canada to the three-day World Championship that began Friday, said Grant Reeves, chief executive of Buckeye DockDogs.Today, people and their dogs are invited to participate in a Big Air fun jump for BAARK (Basic Assistance And Recovery Kindness for dogs), a “give-back fundraiser” sponsored by DockDogs, Reeves said. Anyone interested in trying the sport will be given team assistance and the opportunity to participate in Big Air jumps for $15.On Sunday, Tony Lampert of St. Louis and his 2-year-old Belgian Malinois won the Big Air World Championship trophy.Baxter was the defending Iron Dog World Champion.“He goes everywhere I go,” said Lampert, a trainer with the Las Vegas-based Sit Means Sit obedience training program.Lampert said the dog, which he got as a puppy, is the son of a K9 officer in the Chicago Police Department. Baxter was born on Christmas Day.“It just makes him that much more special,” Lampert said.Kathy Antoniotti can be reached at 330-996-3565 or kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com.