Belgian Malinois Doubles as Diving Dogs Competitor and Mobility Assistance Dog

Belgian Malinois “Bullitt” and his recently-retired owner Donna Mobilia of Scottsdale, AZ, aren’t slowing down in any aspects of their lives. Bullitt (Gravitas Bullitt McQueen CD BN RE SWN DEX14 DM AE AMX6 HDMX CGCA CGCU TKN ATT) has made quite a name for himself in the dock diving world. In 2022, he was even among the three dogs inducted to the North America Diving Dogs Hall of Fame. And the 8-year-old dog shows no signs of slowing down, competing at the 2024 AKC Diving Dogs Challenge, taking place on February 24 and 25 at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Mobilia is much the same way, always doing something. Though she’s now retired, she spent the last 45 years owning an auto body shop. Now, her days are filled with training classes and plenty of dog sport competitions. Through all of this, Bullitt supports her, also serving as her mobility assistance dog.

A Leap of Faith

Getting Bullitt was love at first sight for Mobilia. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a litter that I haven’t taken a puppy from right on the first time, but I fall in love too fast,” laughs Mobilia. “He is from Scottsdale, from where we live. And he has been a great dog.” She named him after the 1968 film starring Steve McQueen — a unique name inspired in part by the iconic Mustang his character drives in the film, referencing her family’s body shop legacy.

She was always immediately drawn to obedience, but it didn’t take Mobilia long to recognize Bullitt’s dock diving potential. “My intention was to get him and then to do competition obedience,” she explains. “I’d seen things on TV of dock diving, but I had never competed in it before.”

Gloria Anderson

After teaching him to swim at a young age and participating in obedience classes, she was looking for another activity to make use of Bullitt’s boundless energy. “Somebody said, ‘Well, you should do something in the summer since it’s so hot here.’ So we decided to go and try dock diving — we’ve never done it before,” Mobilia recalls. From the start, she and her husband, Ray, knew he was good. “Bullitt runs down the dock, and he jumps 18 feet his very first time.” From there, they were off to the races.

A Bond Beyond the Dock

Mobilia admits it was tough at times to balance her active, dog sport lifestyle with her full-time job before she retired. The duo has competed in 38 states, participating in dock diving, obedience, and AKC Scent Work. While it can be a challenge to be on the road so frequently, Mobilia says there’s nothing better than spending time with Bullitt. “It was hard to get the time off work. But other than that, you’ll spend a lot of time having fun with your dog,” she says. “That’s the whole point of it, right? There’s not enough hours in the day. Time flies because you’re having so much fun with your dog.”

Mobilia and Bullitt support each other in more ways than one. Mobilia has arthritis, and relies on Bullitt as her mobility assistance dog. “I have really bad arthritis, pretty much everywhere,” says Mobilia. Dogs like Bullitt help assist their handler, who may have balance, strength, or mobility issues, with a variety of tasks, allowing them to be more independent in their day-to-day lives. “He used to go to work with me all the time,” she says.”You don’t even know he’s there a lot of times, but he’s a huge help to me.”

Gloria Anderson

Diving Into Their Next Adventure

Bullitt may be getting older, but Mobilia says he’s still passionate and energetic when it comes to everything he does, whether he’s competing or just heading to dock diving class. Recently, they competed in Surprise, AZ, at an event, where Bullitt jumped a 28-foot, five-inch jump. “So, we don’t even know why, at almost 9 years old, he’s still jumping like that,” Mobilia says, “but he loves it, he absolutely loves it.” Along with dock diving, they’re looking forward to competing in more obedience trials, as well as working up to higher levels in AKC Scent Work in the coming months.

While the pair are beginning to think about what their lives will look like once Bullitt retires from dock diving, that doesn’t mean they’re planning on taking their foot off the gas pedal. “When he retires from dock diving, we’re gonna do drafting with Bullitt,” Mobilia says. They’ve made him a cart already, and have begun practicing. They haven’t competed just yet, but they’re excited to. “He could do anything,” she says. “He’s great.”