By Renee Worthing

Register Reporter

Soggy dogs from as far away as Florida strutted their stuff during last weekend’s York County Kennel Club of Maine’s dog show at the Acton Fairgrounds. 

Despite pouring rain, York County Kennel Club of Maine Recording Secretary Tracey Levasseur said about 730 dogs were registered for the second day of the show, where they participated in conformation, obedience and rally events. 

Under one canopy, dogs stood on tables while their handlers used hair dryers, combs and hairspray to meticulously groom them in preparation for the conformation. 

“It’s a beauty contest,” Levasseur said. 

A standard poodle, Allee, owned by Anita Clark and groomed by handler Karra Folkner, sported a continental cut. The hair on her face, throat, feet and base of her tail was shorn, leaving Allee with puffy pompoms on her hips, ankles, and the end of her tail. The remainder of coat on her back, chest, ears and head was teased with a comb and hairspray. 

Levasseur said a poodle’s hair must be cut in one of three styles – continental (adult cut), English saddle or puppy cut. She said the cut helps the dog move well and reveals its proportions, one of the many characteristics the dogs are judged on while in the show ring. 

The cut, while looking “fluffy,” is also practical. Levasseur said the dogs were once bred as working dogs and the “pompoms” helped keep their joints warm in cold weather conditions. 

“It’s really hard to beat a good moving poodle,” Levasseur said, noting she breeds shar-peis, classified as non-sporting dogs, as well as poodles, Dalmatians, chow chows and bulldogs.

While the smaller dogs were judged in indoor rings, larger dogs were paraded before the watchful eyes of judges in the outdoor rings. Many handlers scooped their dogs off the table, wrapped them in blankets or towels and carried them through the rain to avoid getting them wet and muddy. 

Other dogs were enrolled in obedience and rally events. 

In rally events, the dogs are led through a numbered course where they must perform specific actions at each station, such as “long down,” where the dogs must lie down as their owner walks away. In order to earn points, the dog must not move until given a command. 

“It can get pretty noisy in a rally,” Levasseur said. “It’s more interactive and there’s a lot of ‘Good dog!’ and encouraging of the dog.” 

However in the obedience course, Levasseur said there is more discipline on the dog’s part. 

“There are not a lot of verbal commands,” she said. “The dogs already know what they are supposed to do.”

Levasseur said the two-day event was about more than showing dogs. 

“Our goal is to promote purebred dogs,” she said. 

She said the breeders work “very hard” to breed pure bloodlines while the parent clubs of the breeds keep meticulous records of the pedigree lines. The hope is that the winning dogs at the show will eventually have pups, thereby extending the bloodline.

“When you breed two different dogs, you won’t necessarily get the best of each breed,” she said. “It’s also really sad that the breed is ruined after so much hard work to perfect it.”

She encouraged people who want a puppy to visit dog shows and talk with the handler or owner of the breed they like. She said to ask a lot of questions and get a good look at the dog. 

“The dogs at shows are the standard for that breed,” she said. 

She said it was also a good opportunity to see how big the dog will look when it grows up. 

“Those puppies can grow up to be this big,” she said, raising her hand to her hip. 

She also encouraged people to search for dogs at breed specific rescues and animal shelters. Levasseur said the York County Kennel Club began hosting shows about 10 years ago. The first show was at the Biddeford Ice Arena, the following year at Howard Sports in Saco. She said Acton Fairgrounds is not a perfect venue, but it offers 26 acres of space and because it has canopies and other buildings, the club does not have to rent tents. 

Levasseur said the plans for next year’s show begins in June.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun,” she said.

To contact Renee Worthing, email news@intheregister.com or 282-4337 ext. 240