What sits, stays and has 2,600 legs, give or take?

Perhaps another Guinness world record for Traverse City.

Local dog trainer Sam Jones and training partner Jennifer Loup are in the early stages of organizing an event to break the world record for number of dogs sitting simultaneously for 30 seconds. The honor belongs to a group in England, a 2005 record with 627 dogs in a simultaneous “stay.”

While it might be a record only a dog trainer could get really excited about – a field of dogs all obeying one command at the same time – Jones thinks a community as “dog crazy” as Traverse City might find the chance at a world record fun, too ... and for a good cause.

The Great American Doggie Sit-In is slated for Saturday, October 11. Jones is submitting an application to the city for use of the Open Space for the record-breaking attempt.

He first had the idea a couple of years ago – to put on a benefit and attempt a world record at the same time. After some searching of the Guinness world records, Jones came across the “super sit” record in England and got to thinking about his hometown canines.

“We want it to be fun and to make a difference,” Jones says of his goal of 650 dogs and their people. “And I think it will be good for Traverse City” adding that organizers plan to notify national media of the world record attempt.

Jones stresses that dogs don’t have to be trained to sit and stay for 30 seconds, but he does plan to post some brief lessons on YouTube for those who want to train their dogs or who might be looking for a refresher. Handlers can bribe dogs with treats and praise them during the 30 seconds – but they also must drop the leash.

“That will be the hardest part of all,” Jones says. But, he notes, if one dog fails that doesn’t mean the whole group fails.

Participation will be by donation, with funds split between Puppies Behind Bars – which trains inmates to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans, including those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder – and the three local animal rescue groups, A.C. Paw, H.A.N.D.D.S. to the Rescue and the Cherryland Humane Society.

“It’s a way to pull owners together,” says Jones, but it’s also going to take a community to make it happen – in much the same way the Suttons Bay community did in 2013, setting the world record for largest raft of kayaks and canoes (2099 in all) to raise funds for Suttons Bay Schools.

What does Jones need now? Volunteers interested in helping pull this attempt off: people to help assist with registration (those details forthcoming), count participants, photograph and video the group (ladders, cherry pickers for overhead shots), and assistance with website and Facebook page development.

Anyone interested in getting involved in event planning or to offer some pro bono expertise can reach Jones by calling Humane Train at 946.9663 or emailing samhumanetrain@gmail.com

Want to participate, but worried about your dog’s behavior amongst hundreds of other dogs and people? The trainer offers a little advice: start by getting your pooches out in public now and used to listening to your commands while distracted by the world around them.