The Golden Valley Kennel Club will present its annual all-breed dog show from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and tomorrow at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds.
The shows contain conformation, obedience trials and rallies with rules from the American Kennel Club. And they aren’t small by any means: there are anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 dogs entered each day.
“For a novice coming to the dog show for the first time, a lot of it is maybe hard to understand because you don’t know what’s going on there,” said licensed AKC Saluki judge Brian Duggan.
Duggan also works as the Director of Learning Services at California State University, Stanislaus and has been showing dogs since he was 13 years old. He has done dog shows in several foreign countries, like England, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, as well as various places in the United States.
“Essentially there are people showing their dogs and in a prescribed way so that a judge can evaluate their features and take that evaluation and compare it with the next dog and the next dog and the next dog,” explained Duggan. “And the judge has in his or her mind the written description for the breed standard.”
Judging for the show starts promptly at 8:30 a.m. Group judging is slated to start by 2:00 p.m. followed by Best-In-Show. For the judging schedule, visit www.infodog.com/showinfo/showmain.htm.
“Go and absorb – take it all in. Talk to people ringside,” Duggan advised for those unfamiliar with dog shows. “People love talking about their dogs, so if you see a breed there that’s unusual, or a breed you want to know more about, or a breed that you’re possibly looking for, track them down, find them and talk to them ringside.”
Although admission is free, there is a charge for parking at the fairgrounds. Breakfast, lunch, and soft drinks will be available in the cafeteria. There will also be vendors on-site with pet and grooming supplies, dog toys, trinkets and other items.
For more information, visit www.goldenvalleykc.org/show_information or contact Golden Valley Kennel Club at goldenvalleykc@yahoo.com.
