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Date: 1/14/2020
WEST SPRINGFIELD – The Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds in West Springfield are host to an array of events throughout the year, including bridal shows, hobby shows and arts festivals. One popular draw to the grounds are dog shows.
“Dog shows fit into our agricultural mission,” said Eastern States Exposition Director of Sales Tim Garstka. He said kennel clubs are offered a reduced price to have their shows hosted at the Big E because it is an agricultural non-profit.
While the Merrimack Valley Kennel Club show ran Jan. 4 through Jan. 5 and the Troy Kennel Club Dog Show will be at Eastern States on April 4, the majority of the venue’s dog shows this year take place in February.
The Great Barrington Kennel Club Dog Show kicks off the month on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2 in the Better Living Center.
“We’re a small club,” said Gloria McClay of the Great Barrington Kennel Club (GBKC), which has about 25 members.
The GBKC show is an all-breed show that will feature the three standard American Kennel Club (AKC) competition styles, confirmation, obedience and AKC Rally.
Confirmation is the process in which judges decide how closely a particular dog adheres to the recognized traits of its breed. In an obedience trial, dogs follow specific commands by their handler. The AKC states that obedience trials “recognize dogs that have been trained to behave in the home, in public places and in the presence of other dogs.”
Finally, AKC Rally trials involve course navigation and the dog’s response to 20 to 30 hand signals.
Many dogs compete at multiple shows in a circuit. McClay explained that because their show is the weekend before the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York, “some of the top dogs that you’ll see there, you might see at our show.”
New at the Great Barrington Kennel Club Dog Show this year is a puppy competition. Dogs ages four months to under six months will compete for conformation, the evaluation of a dog based on established breed traits.
There will also be scent work trials that consist of finding hidden scents, such as in boxes or buried. This competition is open to all dogs, whether purebred or mixed breed.
There are three “supported entries” this year. A supported entry is when a breed-specific club, in this case, the Labrador Retriever Club of the Pioneer Valley, the English Setter Club of New England and the Mayflower Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club, supports their breed by bolstering show attendance and sponsoring trophies and prizes.
The Shawangunk Kennel Club will showcase its dogs on Feb. 20, while the Wallkill Kennel Club Dog Show will take place on Feb. 21. The Rockland County Kennel Club has been a member of the American Kennel Club for 70 years and can be seen at the Mallary Complex at the fairgrounds from Feb. 22 through Feb. 23. The three clubs presenting these all-breed shows are based in New York.
To finish off the month, from Feb. 29 to March 1, The Connecticut River Working Group Association and the First Company Governor’s Foot Guard will both present dog shows.
The Connecticut River Working Group Association’s show will exclusively feature breeds from the working group, which consists of 31 breeds, including Mastiffs, Great Danes, St. Bernards, and Siberian Huskies. Newly recognized by the AKC this year is the Dogo Argentino, a striking white pack-hunting dog bred to catch wild boar in Argentina.
The Connecticut River Working Group Association has about 30 members and about 800 working dogs will be shown in the fairground’s Mallary Complex.
The Eastern States Exposition is located at 1305 Memorial Ave. in West Springfield. For more information on the dog shows coming to the fairgrounds, visit easternstatesexposition.com/events/dogshow or call 737–2443.