More than 600 dogs competing at Brockville, Ont. dog show

It’s an event dog exhibitors have been waiting for three years, an international competition in Brockville, Ontario. that attracts competitors from all over the world.

More than 600 dogs have come to the Elizabethtown Fairgrounds for the return of the Thousand Islands Kennel and Obedience Club (TIKO) Shows & Trials.

“It’s really good to be back,” said TIKO President Ginny Kerr. “As is well known, we were absent for three years because of the pandemic and have also returned to the place of origin for this club.”

The show will be held outdoors for the first time since the mid-1970s.

“A lot of the founding members are very happy, and a lot of people started their exhibition careers here and are very, very happy to be back 40 years later,” added Kerr.

Breeder Marnie Layng shows her Schipperkes, part of TIKO since 1969.

“For many of us, it’s our world,” she said. “We feel good here, our passion is here, and it’s one of the oldest sporting events in the world.”

Well over 100 dog breeds are represented and take part in various shows throughout the weekend including a sports group and a herding group.

“It’s an elimination process, you come in and enter your dogs in the class they fit in under Canadian Kennel Club rules, and the judges go over the dogs,” Layng said.

Males are judged first, then females, with the judges selecting the best in each class.

“Then they go up against all the champions that are already established and get a best of breed,” Layng explained. “Once we have a Best of Breed and a Best Contrast, Best of Winner, Best of Puppy, if there’s a competition for them, they move on.”

“When you get Best of Breed, they compete against the other 13 or 17 dogs that won their Best of Breed, and then they pick the top four and number one becomes Best in Show,” she noted.

Attendees have traveled from as far away as Florida to show their dogs, others are from the northern US, New Brunswick, Quebec and throughout Ontario.

There are also judges who have come from Sweden.

In another part of the fairground, dogs also perform in the rally and obedience ring.

“It’s harder than it looks,” noted Kerr. “You read, you walk the dog, you do things all on time.”

Judge Mary Monteith of Kitchener keeps a close eye, ensuring a standard of perfection is met according to the rules that govern the sport.

“Our job is to distinguish the absolutely perfect dogs from those who make a little mistake here and there,” she said. “Or maybe their handler makes a mistake, and so we judge by a standard of perfection in our heads and compare each dog.”

“There’s a lot of training that goes into preparing a dog to compete in competitive sports,” Monteith noted. “I want to congratulate all the handlers and dogs that worked so hard to get here. Every judge appreciates more than anything the work that goes into preparing their dogs for competition and it is very challenging and difficult and I applaud all of them.”

With temperatures reaching 30 degrees on Saturday afternoon, the dogs were kept cool in many ways.

“We have a pool to cool their feet, everyone sprays their dogs, and as you’ll see some dogs have jackets over them to dissipate the heat and provide some coolness,” Kerr said. “Lots of water, lots of shade, lots of rest.”

“It’s really nice to see a good strong purebred dog industry,” noted Kerr. “Dogs became very important during the pandemic and we believe in a well bred, purpose bred dog from a breeder who does all the checks that need to be done before breeding the dogs, that’s what these competitions check sound are the dogs in body and mind.”

Layng says every dog ​​owner is a little crazy to be able to compete at this level, and notes she’s heard the comparison before.

“Of course I am (crazy). That’s part of the criteria,” she quipped. “And let’s face it, if you have a relative who happens to be a master chess player or who collects butterflies, what do we say about them?”

“Not everyone understands other people’s passions, you know, but for most of us, that’s our passion,” Layng said. “So when we have an opportunity to come together and compete and some of us win and some of us learn because that’s what you have to do, when you lose you learn, so it’s an opportunity for all of us to enjoy .”

The show lasts until Sunday and admission is free. Spectators are welcome to watch but are asked to respect the dogs and shows taking place.

“If you come to the show, ask if you can touch a dog and look at it and just enjoy it. Ask questions of people who know,” Layng said.

“Come out and enjoy, join our extended family because this is the world of dog shows.”