Sunday, May 30, 1999
Dogs raised to win
BY JENNY CALLISON
Enquirer contributor
HAMILTON — They're having a tail-waggin' good time at the National Dog Show this weekend.
Thousands of dogs and their owners have come to the Butler County fairgrounds to compete in an array of canine competitions. Many of the 130-plus breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) are represented here.
In Ring 14, bulldogs stood patiently with their owners and then trotted around while judge Dan Powers observed. Closer up, Mr. Powers examined the dogs' jaws and teeth and stroked their ears.
IF YOU GO
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• What: National Dog Show
• When: Today and Monday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Where: Butler County fairgrounds, Ohio 4 in Hamilton.
• Admission: Parking is $5 per car.
• Information: 892-0113 or 474-3378
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Jessie Collins, 7, from Cullman, Ala., watched on the sidelines with Sunshine, her bulldog puppy. Sunshine had just earned a first-place ribbon in the six- to nine-month sweepstakes.
“The head is worth the most points,” said Angie Collins, Jessie's mother. "Everything is supposed to be in proportion. Their teeth are not supposed to stick out, and their legs should not be bowed.”
This kind of competition is called confirmation. AKC-approved judges compare each dog to the club's standard for that particular breed.
For the boxers competing in Ring 13, that standard includes such features as squareness of head, brightness of eyes, healthy coat and attitude. The dogs' tails must be docked (bobbed) and their ears cropped.
In another building, obedience trials were in progress, sponsored by the Queen City Dog Training Club. Obedience events have a large following, especially because some are open to mixed breed dogs and to dogs who have been neutered or spayed.
Not everyone appreciates or understands the often-subtle traits that win points for obedience competitors.
“Some people think that watching obedience trials is about as interesting as watching paint dry,” said Kathy Smith, who works with the Hamilton Dog Training Club. Her club is sponsoring the agility competitions today and Monday. The playground-like equipment for the trials was built by club member Kurt Glaub.
In agility, owners work with their pets to develop the dog's precision, balance and speed in a set of physical tasks that includes balancing on a seesaw, climbing a lad der and crawling through a tunnel.
“Dogs have the most fun here of any event,” commented Betty Pomeroy, secretary of the Cincinnati Kennel Club and member of the show's site committee. “Obedience is very structured, but in agility the dogs really get to work. It's truly amazing what these dogs do.”
Near the gates, the afghans pranced, preened and posed in their ring.
“Ever seen a puli?” Ms. Pomeroy asked. A black bundle named Lucy approached. She was an apparition in dreadlocks. “If you say, "hair like Whoopi Goldberg,' people understand,” explained Lucy's owner, Joe Merchant of Columbus.
Pulis are a Hungarian sheep-herding breed. For the first few years of life, they are fluffy like poodles, developing corded coats as they grow older.
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