Dog days: area club hosts 2 shows

CLAYTON — Recreation Park Arena went to the dogs this weekend at two American Kennel Club shows hosted by the St. Lawrence Valley Dog Club.

Canines and their owners competed for titles in rally, obedience and conformation events on Saturday and Sunday, which marked the club's second year hosting a show at the park.

"It's excellent. It's a wonderful facility," show Chairman Robert A. House, Winthrop, said Sunday. "The folks that run the arena are outstanding."

"It's a good venue," said Joan K. Kogut, Potsdam, a member of the St. Lawrence Valley Dog Club. "The dogs are performing pretty well."

The dogs in question were competing Sunday in a group long sit, an event that requires them to sit and stay for three minutes while their handlers wait out of sight. Ms. Kogut said the dogs had to be trained to build confidence and skills in order to successfully complete the obedience events.

"It's a long process, but it starts with good puppy training," she said.

Elsewhere, dogs were frisking about or enduring a final brushing as they waited for their turns in the conformation rings.

Chelsay N. Paul, whose standard and toy poodles sported immaculately coifed hair, traveled from Cleveland and spent four hours grooming just one standard poodle for the show. She used copious amounts of hair spray to achieve the classic fluffy poodle look, but admitted that her technique might vary slightly from other owners'.

"Everybody grooms them different," she said.

Deborah Z. Beyer, owner of an English springer spaniel named Capulet's Silkstocking Baby, admitted the dogs can be tricky to groom. Like Ms. Paul, Mrs. Beyer traveled a distance — from Rochester, in her case — to reach the show.

"We just go in to do our best and show our best," Mrs. Beyer said.

When asked if the dogs were well-behaved on long road trips, Ms. Paul shrugged.

"They have to be. Most of them, if they don't like it, they get used to it," she said.

On Saturday and Sunday, two lucky pooches were selected as best puppy in show and best veteran in show, non-regular classes that honored old dogs and allowed puppies to experience the limelight for the first time.

"It's a fun thing," Mr. House said Sunday. "It gives people a chance to show off their new puppies for the first time."

Ten-year-old Emily R. Desjardins won a ribbon Sunday, not for her dog's performance, but for her own. Emily competed in junior showmanship, a category designed to give children experience in showing dogs to their best advantage.

Emily, daughter of Tammy and Gerry Desjardins of Cornwall, Ontario, showed a long-haired Chihuahua named Walker.

"You've really got to concentrate and you've got to know what you're doing," she said.

Emily, who has been competing for 18 months, said she attends a dog show nearly every weekend.

"It's not really hard. It's fun," she said.

Jensen S. Sikora, daughter of Lisa and Nicholas Sikora, Evansburg, Pa., also competed in a junior showmanship event. The 12-year-old, who showed an Ibizan hound named Gwen, has been showing dogs for about three years.

"Sometimes it's hard, sometimes it's easy," she said. "I like it because my mom got her 'Best in Show' here and I like the area."

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DOG SHOW WINNERS

Saturday

Best in Show: Chesapeake Bay retriever Cal-I-Co Kiss the Girls, owned by JoAnn and James Colvin.

Sporting Group: Cal-I-Co Kiss the Girls.

Hound Group: Rhodesian ridgeback Nashira's Ciro of Anjari, owned by Annette Ernst.

Working Group: Siberian husky Huskavara's Foxxy Cleopatra, owned by Frank Wright, Diane Baskin and Paula Marcy.

Terrier Group: Cairn terrier Stonehaven Casting Crowns, owned by Robin Balcerak.

Toy Group: Smooth-coat Chihuahua South Fork's Go For Broke, owned by Mary Jane Held.

Non-Sporting Group: Lhasa apso Alasara Northwind Anbara Maestro, owned by Edith N. Jones and Sarah Fitzgerald.

Herding Group: German shepherd Clarksville Olympic Flame, owned by Mary Cummings and Kelly Rauschmeier.

Sunday

Best in Show: Nashira's Ciro of Anjari.

Sporting Group: Cal-I-Co Kiss the Girls.

Hound Group: Nashira's Ciro of Anjari.

Working Group: Siberian husky Coventry's Peace Negotiator, owned by Jean C. Edwards and Vikki Jaramilla.

Terrier Group: Border terrier Meadowlake Overnight Celebrity, owned by Ray and Ginger Scott, T. Bradley and K. Fitzpatrick.

Toy Group: Long-haired Chihuahua Tinypaw's Lady Marmalade, owned by Gerry Desjardins.

Non-Sporting Group: Standard poodle L'Paige Smokey Mountain Girl, owned by Elizabeth and Paige Reynolds.

Herding Group: Cardigan Welsh corgi Roragyn's Tuff Enuff, owned by Cynnie Smith and Isabelle R. Hunt.