What: Erie Kennel Club Dog Show
When: Sunday, January 29, 2012
Where: Bayfront Convention Center
Cost: $5
What fun! Dogs everywhere!
Last Sunday I went to the Erie Kennel Club Dog Show on my way to church. What a great way to start the week--the convention center was filled with dogs of almost every kind imaginable. Small, big, tall, fluffy, hairless, wire haired, short haired, energetic, yappy, basso profundo barking dogs. The show had a great canine ensemble strutting their stuff, and all groomed to perfection.
I am by no means an expert on dog breeds, but below is the list of breeds I think I saw. It would be hard to write down all the breeds; there were so many, and at times I had to watch where I stepped as the dogs and their handlers were crowded as they waited to go in the ring. This is my list:
German shepherd
Standard poodle
Beagle
Dalmatian
Doberman
Miniature dachshund
Standard dachshund
Long haired dachshund
Golden retriever
Airedale
Mastiff
Irish wolfhound
Sheltie
Weimaraner
Several terriers I could not identify
Whippet
Greyhound
Chinese crested
German short haired pointer
Schipperke
Welsh corgi
Whew! That's a lot of dogs!
It was interesting to watch dog behavior. I found a Dalmatian in a crate who watched everything with a keen alertness. Not far from the Dalmatian was a Doberman who frantically scratched at his crate pad and barked and growled if another dog got too close. Another Doberman was also crated, and he guarded his handler's handbag.
It was also interesting to observe the dogs as they were being groomed. Some were clearly bored, but the poodles loved to be groomed. One poodle was nearly asleep as his handler combed through his coat.
The saddest was a dog who stood next to his owner, with his tail between his legs and his eyes filled with remorse. The expression on that dog's face was haunting. A dog's expression should reflect his energy, happiness and intelligence. This dog's expression did not.
The dog show was fun, and I will definitely go again. This would be a good family outing.
