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It is more than a dog’s life when the Lethbridge and District Kennel Club host this year’s All-Breed Dog show Nov. 18-20 at Exhibition Park — it is a lifestyle.
And while there isn’t any money involved in winning one of the seven categories, or even better, best in show, organizers will throw participants a bone or two in the form of a prize ribbon. But they don’t do it for the ribbon; they do it for the love of it.
“It’s a very expensive hobby,” said Coalhurst dog trainer Evelyn Sera, who has raised and bred several champions.
She has been training and showing dogs for more years than she can count, having worked with shelties and even a dalmatian, though she has been working with standard poodles since 1979.
Approximately 200 dog enthusiasts, owners and trainers will be coming to Lethbridge from all over Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and even from Montana to be part of this show.
“I find I meet a lot of people who share my love of dogs. That’s why I do it,” Sera said.
She not only gets to meet people who share her love of dogs, but also they also exchange strategies and training tips with each other. Plus, they get to travel around the country with their dogs and take part in an activity that is a lot of fun for both the master and their best friend. And, of course, there is always the chance of taking home the top prize, being named best in show.
“We just get to meet a lot of new people who share my enthusiasm,” she said.
The show includes all-breed rally obedience trials, three all-breed championship dog shows, four all-breed obedience trials, three all-breed rally obedience trials and special events including a junior showmanship competition on Nov. 19, juvenile sweepstakes and scent hurdle racing. There are seven major conformation categories: sporting dogs, hound dogs, working dogs, terriers, toy dogs, non-sporting dogs and herding dogs.
“Scent hurdle racing is interesting. The dogs have to jump four hurdles and find four dumbbells placed on a flat box with their owner’s scent and then run back over the hurdles,” Sera described.
Each show is a stepping stone for the dogs and their owners.
Ammi Lowry’s beautiful two- to three-year-old border collie Sugar is training for her first show. She has already come a long way since Lowry rescued her from the Coalhurst Animal Shelter a few months ago.
“Someone rescued her from the shelter because she was about to be put down, but they couldn’t take care of her, so I adopted her,” Lowry said.
“She doesn’t have her papers yet,” she continued.
All dogs must have their registry papers with the Canadian Kennel Club before they can compete in dog shows like the All Breed Dog Show.
“But she’s trying really hard,” she said, adding once Sugar gets her papers, she will begin competing.
“I just like the fellowship everybody has with each other. It’s not cut-throat; people will help you,” Lowry said.
She will enter a couple of different dogs in the show.
Sera said judges look at a variety of qualities in the dogs from eye shape, teeth strength, to posture and how suited the dog is to its bred purpose.
“Every dog has a purpose,” said Robyn DeJager, who owns the sixth- and seventh-best standard poodles in Canada.
She is a wealth of information about her dogs. Hers have breeding appointments scheduled in the United States for the winter. She has been raising dogs since 1985. She noted toy poodles were raised to be bed warmers, while standard poodles like her poodles, Royal and Promise, were originally bred to be bird retrieval dogs.
And while to the layman, a poodle may just seem like an annoying, yapping fur-ball, they are much more than that to their owners. Every part of a dog, not to mention the dog’s grooming, has a purpose.
“They have hair to protect their kidneys and hair to protect their vital organs, and they left the hair on the tips of their tails so the owner could spot them in the water. And they used to shave off whatever hair they didn’t need,” DeJager said.
She enjoys letting her poodles run free on the farm when they’re not in the show ring.
DeJager hopes her two dogs maintain their ranking in the Top 10 at the weekend show. Dogs are given points every time they win a category or a show, which are added up to the grand total.
While some owners are at shows every weekend, some, like DeJager, only make it to a few a year.
“They haven’t done bad. As long as he likes doing it, I like doing it,” she said of how much her dogs enjoy the competitions.
“They are so companionable,” she added about her beloved poodles. “And poodles are such versatile dogs.”
The All-Breed Dog Show runs 9 a.m- 5 p.m. Nov. 18-20 in the North and South Pavilions at Exhibition Park. Admission is $7 per person, $5 for seniors and children 12-18, and $10 for a family of four or more. Children under the age of 12 years are admitted at no charge.
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