Mount Pleasant Kennel Club hosts tenth annual dog show over weekend
Almost 400 owners and their dogs came together this weekend to enjoy two intense days of canine competition at the Mount Pleasant Kennel Club dog show.
The Isabella County Fairgrounds, 500 N. Mission Road, were occupied by dog owners from across the state looking for a shot at Best in Show. From big Bernese Mountain dogs to tiny terriers, dogs of all shapes and sizes pranced around the ring Saturday and Sunday.
It was the tenth-annual dog show and its third year at the fairgrounds.
Twin Lake resident Sue Ledford and her Golden Retriever, Halo, are no strangers to the competition.
“I’ve been showing dogs competitively for 25 years now,” Ledford said. “It’s not for the faint of heart. The dogs go through intense preparation; they have to be trained, groomed and conditioned. They are like athletes, in that they have to be in great shape.”
Livonia resident Kathie Lucy brought her Great Dane, Reason to Believe, to the show.
Reason to Believe placed second in his group.
“You get pretty proud of the dogs,” Lucy said. “It’s a lot of work for everyone involved. You have to hand-trim their coats, bathe them, cut their nails and clean their teeth, ears and face.”
The two main events the dogs are judged in are confirmation and obedience.
Confirmation judges how well the dogs are built and obedience judges how well the dog and its handler work together.
The show also had a group of junior handlers — aspiring breeders under the age of 18.
For some, like event coordinator Diane Gaw, the show is about more than showing off dogs.
“Yes, it’s fun to be with dogs and everyone here likes to travel and work with dogs,” Gaw said. “But for a lot of us, it’s the only time we get to see friends that live far away.”
