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Date: 7/9/2019
WEST SPRINGFIELD – Bonnie Skelton sat next to the Obedience ring, passing the time until her turn. Amid the constant barks and human voices, the person in the ring could be heard shouting commands to the dog she was handling. Skelton watched but wasn’t too concerned with her competition.
Skelton shows Belgian Tervurens, a breed of dogs named for the town in which they were first bred, that resemble long-haired German Shepherds. At Yankee Classic Cluster Dog Show at the Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds, two of her dogs competed. Reuben, an older male, was entered in the Obedience event, while Jewel, a young female won Best of Opposite Sex in the Confirmation competition for her breed. After 13 years, Skelton has seen it all.
“Dogs keep you humble,” Skelton said with a laugh as she watched other competitors in the obedience ring. “They can do everything perfectly at home, but once you get to the show...”
The Yankee Classic Cluster Dog Show features the Kenilworth, Holyoke, Farmington & Naugatuck Kennel Clubs. The show ran from July 3 to 7 and featured different competitions: Obedience, AKC Rally, and Confirmation.
While Obedience and Rally involve the dog responding to different commands, Confirmation focuses on how closely the dogs confirms to the AKC standard for the breed, which looks at features such as height, weight, grooming, and temperament.
Judges inspect the dogs for a variety of factors, said Debbie Paz, who was showing an American Cocker Spaniel named Jack.
“It depends on the breed,” said Paz. However, Paz said that some general things that judges consider are the dog’s gait, the tail set, and the teeth. Dogs must show signs of health as well as conforming to the standard.
Kathryn Dixon’s Kerry Blue, won Best of Breed in his competition. Dixon, is an owner/handler who showed an English Springer Spaniel, and a Lakeland. Dixon, who is a groomer by trade, has been showing dogs for about two years.
“It started with grooming competitions,” Dixon said. She found them fun and decided to branch out into dog shows.
While some competitors are very driven and competitive, many are in it for fun.
“I like to win, but I don’t have to,” Skelton said. “It’s fun. You get to spend time with your friends and the dogs.”
“I like just having fun with it, playing with the dogs,” said 17-year-old Lindsay Myers, who along with her 4-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, Prada, came in fourth place in the Juniors competition. Myers has already been showing dogs for a decade with her family. “It’s not something you should stress about.”
It can be stressful, however, when the dogs don’t do what they’re expected to. That was the situation for a Newfoundland named Gabe and his handler when she gave the command to sit during the Rally competition, and Gabe just wouldn’t.
“He hates Rally,” she said. “He likes Obedience much better.” Rally, in which handlers can pat their leg or guide their animal verbally through instruction such as turn to the right, slow pace, and jump, is a stepping stone to Obedience, where the handler can only use a command. Gabe had trouble mastering some of the commands in Obedience so he was back in Rally to work on them, his handler said.
Spencer Wohlers had better luck with Augie, a 6-year-old Poodle. They received three 100s for their performance, the best score. Wohlers lefts the ring happy, and judging by the wagging tail, so did Augie.