By Kathleen Knowles
You’ll Have a Dog Gone Good Time!
It’s that time of the year again! The Saint Clair Kennel Club will hold its annual American Kennel Club Championship Dog Shows at Goodells Park on September 13th, 14th, and 15th. If you missed it last year, you won’t want to miss it again. Richard Lawless, President of the Kennel Club as well as Show Chairman, said, “It’s been a busy year. The Kennel Club has added some exciting events to its calendar.”
In May, they held the “Spring Fling”, which was obedience and rally. They also had a practice event for the AKC Scent Work Detective titles. Based on the professional scent detection dogs, these dogs had to find objects of different scents. Neither the dog nor its owner knew where they were hidden. A member of the Saint Clair Kennel Club, Inge Fagen and her dog, Rocco became the first in the entire United States to earn the Scent Detective title at sanctioned shows!!
The 2019 Dog Shows boast a total entry for the weekend of about 1800, which includes Conformation, Obedience, Rally, as well as the two specialties. The weekend begins Friday with the Great Lakes Toy Specialty (Group 5) and the Fort Detroit Golden Retriever Club. On Saturday and Sunday, All Breed Dog shows will be held with breed judging and Obedience during the day, followed by Group Judging, and of course, climaxing with the coveted Best in Show. The judging will be in the exhibit buildings and under the tents outside.
Two events have been added this year. The first is the “Barn Hunt.” Rats are placed in tubes and hidden in bales of hay. The dogs must exhibit their ability to find them and point out where they are. These canines are judge by AKC licensed “Barn Hunt” judges. This event will be right across from the Splash Pad.
The second event this year at the dog show is the “Pee Wee Event.” This event is for kids under 9 years of age. With adult supervision, the kids will be able to show their dogs to an AKC judge. The event will be judged at noon on Saturday. Any kid with a dog, (with an AKC registration) who is under the age of 9, can enter the day of the show up to a half-hour (11:30) before judging.
A Raffle will be held. A wreath made of money will be raffled off as well as a date night package, which includes a night’s stay at the Doubletree, a movie and a dinner for two, including a bottle of champagne. There will be other items as well. Vendors will be set up at the show with items ranging from collars, leashes, toys, beds, cages, knick-knacks, to just about anything doggie you can imagine. There will also be booths with food . . . for the humans.
Show hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Judging begins at 9:00 am on Friday, 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, and 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. For those of you who have a specific breed in mind you would like to see, you can find the judging schedule on Infodog.com. So come on out for a weekend of canine fun!
Goodells Park
8264 County Park Dr.
Goodells, MI 48027
Kathleen Knowles
Blue Water Healthy Living Contributing Writer
