When the White House opened its doors to first dog Beau, hits on the Internet for Portuguese water dogs rose exponentially. But if a person wants to get up close and personal with a specific dog breed, attending The Piedmont Kennel Club All-Breed show this weekend is the way to go.
The club, on Choate Circle in Steele Creek, is offering two days of everything breed specific. If you've never gone and wonder what it's all about, here is Dog Show 101.
Expect to see from 1,000 to 1,600 dogs at these shows, said Connie Camp, this year's show chairman. Camp has been actively involved with this club since the early 1980s.
Dogs come from all over the southeast, not just the Charlotte area. "This show is strictly conformation," Camp said. She said dogs will be showing against the American Kennel Club standard.
There are seven recognized breed groups:
Herding, known for moving livestock such as a German Shepherd and Border Collie;
Working, know for doing jobs: Great Dane, Rottweiler, Portuguese water dog;
Terrier, bred for hunting vermin: Scottish Terrier, Airedales;
Toy, main job is to make owners happy: Pomeranian, Chihuahua, Pug;
Non-Sporting, a showcase of other recognized breeds: Bulldog, Boston Terrier;
Sporting, hunting and field trials: Golden Retriever, Cocker Spaniel; Brittany Spaniel; and
Miscellaneous Dog Group, for dogs awaiting AKC recognition. Dogs in this group can participate in Obedience, Tracking and Agility: Redbone Coonhound, Swedish Valhund.
Camp said that they never know until the day of show what breeds will be represented. Because this is an all-breed event, there will be no Miscellaneous Dog Group.
A dog gets from the breed-specific ring to Best in Show through accumulating points and consequently, elimination of competitors.
First, in each breed category, puppies (starting at 6 months) and dogs that have not achieved champion status are shown by gender. Judges will look over each group of entrants, eventually choosing the one they believe best meets the AKC standard for that breed.
The winners of this round join any champions of the breed in the next round for more judging. The winner of each preliminary group competes for Best in Breed. Each Best in Breed will then compete for Best in Group, the seven AKC-recognized groups. The winner of each group then competes for Best in Show.
Lou Guthrie and her husband, Steven Bean, own RoughSeas Kennels in River Point. This year, they will not show their Portuguese water dogs, because Guthrie is on the Judges Selection Committee.
"We fill the judges' slots in different ways," she said. Names come from the AKC or recommendations.
"Judges can either preside over single breeds or groups, or judge a few breeds. Sunday's Best in Show judge could have been the Toy breed group judge on Saturday."
Though this is a show about dogs, the handlers, who are the people actually putting the dogs through their paces, work just as hard as the dogs.
Handlers can start as young as 7. These young people start their career showing during the breed-specific rounds. Junior Handlers are age 9 to 18. The Rosener sisters - Brittany, 15, Megan, 13, and Olivia, 11, all of Fort Mill, are junior handlers. The Roseners frequently show their family dogs -- Brittany Spaniels.
"I got involved when we got our first dog," Brittany said. "My aunt shows dogs and I learned from her."
Brittany has been handling dogs since she was 8, and has shown RoughSeas' Portuguese water dogs.
"Some handlers," she said, "have their own dogs as well as 'client dogs." At this upcoming show, she will be handling a Pekinese named Bonnie; Megan and Olivia will be showing their Brittany Spaniels.
Juniors are awarded points for every competitor that is defeated. These points are then applied toward AKC established scholarships and other awards.
"There is a dog show somewhere in the U.S almost every week," Rosener said. Junior handlers earn wins through regular shows, such as Piedmont's, to get to the bigger shows like Eukanuba and Westminster.
Adult handlers come from all walks of life and participate in dog shows for a myriad of reasons. Connie Camp said, and Guthrie concurred, that participating in dog shows is not limited to the money. "Most of us do it for the enjoyable pleasure" of working with dogs.
Along with watching the dogs and their handlers, spectators can shop from vendors on the premises offering everything for dogs and their admirers. Plus, there will be food concessions.
Camp offered some suggestions for first-time spectators. "Most people here want to share their knowledge and love of a certain breed. This is a good show to come and learn about a specific breed of interest.
"For our event," she said, "dogs that come on the property must be AKC registered and must be entered in the show. Dogs not entered should not be brought to the show. We ask spectators to be courteous and respectful of the dogs and their handlers and everyone can have a wonderful time."
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