Tails wag at Wheat City Kennel Club annual show

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This article was published 13/11/2023 (774 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Canadian Kennel Club recognizes 187 dog breeds, and more than 80 of them were represented at last week’s Wheat City Kennel Club dog show, with people coming in from other cities, provinces, countries and even continents to participate.

Sunday was the last of four days of the annual event, which brings in dogs for conformation, obedience and rally competitions.

Conformation is like a beauty pageant, with judges determining how close each pooch gets to the established standards for their breed.

Obedience and rally test how well dogs have been trained as well as the bond between an owner and their dog.

Lynn Mulder of Winnipeg brought a pair of Bernese mountain dogs with her; a three-year-old named Palmer and a six-month-old named Vive, who was at her very first dog show.

The large breed was originally developed in Switzerland for farming, with members displaying predominantly black fur on their bodies, with lighter brown fur on the bottoms of their legs and on the front of their bodies. They have white fur on their feet, chest and on the centre of their faces.

“They do very well in the country,” Mulder said. “I have an acreage where I live and they’re very good companions. They’re a very soft, loyal pillow with feet kind of dog.”

It was a successful debut for Vive, who garnered a best puppy in show award on Saturday. Both animals earned points at the Canadian Kennel Club sanctioned event.

Depending on the strength and type of competition, dogs earn points towards kennel club championships. With not a lot of Bernese mountain dogs in the province, Mulder said part of the reason she came to Brandon was because she knew there would be others for her own animals to compete against.

“I think this is a really well-run event,” she said. “I try to come to the show as frequently as I can. Being the end of the year, there’s a lot of professional handlers from other areas in Canada who come for this show.”

Standing on top of a table, Swayze the Chinese crested powderpuff was gone over with a fine-toothed comb by Cindy Egbert.

Swayze was one of eight dogs brought out to Brandon from Balgonie, Sask. by Egbert’s group to earn some kennel club points. After completing a championship on Saturday, Swayze was hoping to dance his way to a best in breed award on Sunday.

“They’re a toy breed, but they’re not so small that they’re fragile,” Egbert said of the breed. “They’re very athletic. They can do sports, they can do confirmation and they just love their people.

She said she loves being with friends and letting the dogs enjoy themselves at events like these.

Sunday saw a special event being held called “Love the breed, share the lead.”

For that noon-hour session, people with developmental disabilities were invited to borrow dogs from breeders at the event and take a turn exhibiting them in front of the assembled crowd.

Barb Webster, who organized the session, she said she’s come to realize over the last several years how lucky she hasI been to show her own dogs — a couple of miniature poodles — with the help of her daughters.

Her goal, she said, was to provide an opportunity for some people without dogs or without the ability to own their own dogs to experience what it’s like to participate in a dog show.

“We know that it is a privilege, walking through those doors and walking into that ring with your best furry friend,” she said. “I just wanted to allow that opportunity.”

After a trial run at a smaller show run by another kennel club in February, a dozen people were brought in to exhibit on Sunday.

“I am overwhelmed by how well received we were,” Webster said. “I had people messaging, wanting to loan their dogs or wanting to be a part of it. We even had a business in Neepawa put together a little thank you package for the dogs that we borrowed.”

For years, Webster said she’s seen a father and daughter with impaired vision visit the dog show. She didn’t have their contact information but hoped they would show up again this year so she could invite them to participate. Luckily they did and the girl was able to take part.

Webster said the kennel club has invited them to do it again at next year’s show.

According to Lynn White, the Wheat City Kennel Club’s treasurer, entries for this year’s annual show were higher than last year.

Besides Manitobans, White said people came all the way from Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C., Ontario and the United States to compete and they even had a judge come out all the way from Adelaide, Australia.

As a breeder of Doberman pinschers, White said she’s partial to conformation events with her own dogs but likes to keep active with obedience-based events as well.

“I like the body beautiful, because I think they’re a very elegant breed,” she said. “But my dogs are always doing performance because I think that’s very important. It is a breed that is very intelligent and very agile, and they need to be worked.”

The judge from Australia was Peter Martin, who spent 38 hours travelling to Brandon for the event. Back home, he breeds Irish setters.

He said it wasn’t his first time judging in Canada, having previously visited shows in Ontario and Regina. On top of that, he’s been to shows in Russia, South Africa, India, New Zealand and more.

The most popular breeds he’s seen across the world include golden retrievers, Labradors, Siberian huskies and Australian shepherds.

His duties included judging for all breeds, all groups and voting for best in show. That best in show award was taken home by an Irish setter.

“Happy to award that dog, and the quality of dogs here is fantastic,” Martin said.

Beyond judging at the competition, Martin said he was able to knock an item off his bucket list while in Brandon: getting to see his first live hockey game, a match between the U18 Wheat Kings and the Southwest Cougars.

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