Page 78 - ShowSight - December 2019

A Merry Little Dog Show
BY DAN SAYERS
‘TIS THE SEASON FOR FAITHFUL FRIENDS (TWO- AND FOUR-LEGGED)
Dog shows in December are different. The fair-
grounds, exposition halls and convention centers that welcome purebred dogs this time of year seem to be transformed by the magic of the Holi- day Season. The festive atmosphere that abounds at year’s-end seems to encourage everyone to have a merry little—or not so little—dog show.
End-of-year shows can feel like both a race to the finish line and a reason to linger a little while longer with faithful friends, both two- and four-legged. This month, exhibitors get a chance to earn those final points and also “sit awhile” at shows all across the country. In the Northeast, exhibitors gather in West Spring- field, Massachusetts, where the Eastern Dog Club shares its week- end with the Worcester County and Champlain Valley Kennel Clubs. Fanciers in the Middle Atlantic head to West Friendship, Maryland, for the Chesapeake KC of Maryland and the North- eastern Maryland Kennel Club shows, and then to Oaks, Penn- sylvania, the following weekend for shows hosted by the South Jersey, Huntingdon Valley and Valley Forge Kennel Clubs. Perry, Georgia, welcomes Southeast exhibitors at the Savannah, Ken- nesaw and Oconee River Kennel Club shows, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Kennel Club opens its doors in Gulfport, Mississippi. Texans attend the Conroe Kennel Club shows in the club’s name- sake city, and the Trinity Valley and Greater Collin Kennel Club shows in Dallas a week later. Exhibitors in the Southwest come together in Yuma, Arizona, for the Yuma and Imperial Valley Kennel Club shows. And in Southern California, fanciers meet in Costa Mesa for the Shoreline Dog Fanciers Association of Orange
County shows, whereas Northern Californians head to Stockton for the Golden Valley and San Joaquin Kennel Club shows. The Greater Clark County Kennel Club in Ridgefield, Washington, is the gathering place for exhibitors in the Pacific Northwest. While in the Midwest, shows are hosted in East Lansing, Michigan, by the Ingham County Kennel Club, and in Belleville and Rosemont, Illinois, by the Edwardsville Illinois and Skokie Valley Kennel Clubs respectively.
The last show weekend of the year attracts exhibitors nation- wide to three different regions of the country. In Central Minne- sota, exhibitors gather at the St. Cloud River’s Edge Convention Center for the Granite City Kennel Club of St. Cloud’s back-to- back shows. Billed as “The Star of Bethlehem Cluster,” the Lehigh Valley and Delaware Water Gap Kennel Club shows draw exhibi- tors from near and far to the Agri-Plex in Allentown, Pennsylvania. But for exhibitors looking for an escape from Old Man Winter, nothing beats the excitement of the year’s final marathon that takes place in Florida. The “Orlando Cluster” welcomes fanciers to the Orange County Convention Center where the Space Coast KC of Palm Bay, and the Brevard KC and Central Florida KC host events along with several limited-breed shows and specialties. “Orlando” closes out the year with the selection of Best in Show at the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin. This year’s Best in Show winner will join an exclusive list of purebreds that have become recognizable to many outside the sport of dogs, including the Kerry Blue “Mick,” the Norfolk “Coco,” the Pointer “Holly,” the Sealyham “Charmin,” the Standard Poodle “London,” the Wire Fox “Sky,” the German Shepherd “Rumor,” the Puli “Preston,” and last year’s winning Whippet “Whiskey.”
Since its inaugural event in 2001, the AKC National Champi- onship has become one of the most highly anticipated shows in the world. America’s largest conformation show is part of a week-long series of competitions that includes the AKC Agility Invitational, the AKC Obedience Classic, the National Owner-Handled Series Finals, the Best Bred-By Exhibitor competition, the AKC Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy Stakes, as well as Junior competi- tions in each sport. The popular AKC Meet the Breeds and NADD/
“THE FESTIVE ATMOSPHERE THAT ABOUNDS AT YEAR’S-END SEEMS TO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO
HAVE A MERRY LITTLE—OR NOT SO LITTLE—DOG SHOW.”
76 • ShowSight Magazine, DeceMber 2019