What dog travel awaits us this weekend? Turns out, we didn’t need to stray far from home. For a small town, Caledonia, Ontario, Canada was dog event central:
- K9 hosted a fundraiser August 12, 2017 for Zachary’s Paws for Healing, a unique non-profit that helps people in hospital, particularly those in long-term care, visit with their pets.
- The Kilbride & District Kennel Club hosted a dog show August 11 to 13, 2017 at the Caledonia Fair Grounds.
Day One: Zachary’s Paws for Healing Fundraiser
My crazy terrier cross Victor has visited K9 Fun Zone once before (also for an event) but this time, he got to give all the activities this canine club offers a try. For the $20 admission, you could participate in several activities. It’s a good way to see what your pup loves.
How did Victor do?
Well, we won’t be joining the club anytime soon:
The lure course held his attention for half a completion before he realized he was chasing a plastic bag, and it was more fun to chase me in the open space, off leash.
Barn hunting didn’t prove any more successful. Even after meeting the rats (in a cage) face-to-face, he wasn’t able to identify the rat-filled container among the stacked stinky hay – he just wanted to smell and pee but couldn’t because pee contaminates the playing field.
The ball pit was not fun at all. He first jumped in enthusiastically until he realized his legs barely moved through the balls. Then his only interest was climbing back out.
Dock diving we didn’t attempt, but I did push him down the ramp into the pool where an instructor got him used to the water for a swim – two actually. It was hot out.
Victor can swim well, but doesn’t love it. Even when he was in the physiotherapy pool last month (more on about that soon), he was determined to climb out. He did ok.
What did he love? The all-beef hotdog from the food truck. In a vegetarian house, real meat is a real treat. Maybe worth swimming for.
Day Two: The Kilbride & District Kennel Club
The Kilbride & District Kennel Club hosted a small purebred show. Participants were friendly, and what a great opportunity to get some up close and personal pics with star pedigreeds.
A side note: the Caledonia Fairgrounds is my dog Victor’s weekly off-leash play area, so he welcomes the new scents these canine contestants leave behind. We spent this week watching them set up.
Here’s who we met Sunday:
Jackie, the Great Dane who models how beautiful Danes can be without ear clipping. (I prefer it. What do you think?)
Sage, the Border Terrier who looked like the star of Wizard of Oz. This breed I knew nothing about but apparently, these wiry coated scamps are from the border between Scotland and England and bred for chasing foxes down holes. Flexibility allows them to bend almost in half, great for turning in small spaces.
Speaking of the Yellow Brick Road, this is Toto the personable French Bulldog who owned the show in his shiny blue sequined cooling jacket. (It was a warm day outside).
Evers, the Shar Pai, remained aloof and down-to-earth like the colour of his fur.
Finally, who could resist a shot of Chip, the Shih Tzu waiting patiently in the grooming area for her chance to impress the judges?
Four of the seven judges were Canadian, but three joined the event from overseas: Australia, Brazil and Cyprus. Sunday afternoon hosted two classes: non-sporting dogs, such as the Shar-Pai and French Bulldogs, and Working Dogs, including twenty Great Danes – clearly popular at the Kilbride Kennel Club.
Next weekend: We’re heading to Pawloosa, the grand dame of pet events in London, Ontario, Canada.
What dog events are you attending this summer?
Let us know in the comments below.
You have such great dog events in your area. We have none! I would love to find somewhere like your K9 Fun Zone to have Tippy try all of those things. She is not fond of swimming either, so I know that would not be a part of her day, but, the others might be good to try.
Considering Victor spends half his life smelling, I thought he’d be better at the barn hunt. Turns out he just likes to smell with no goal in mind.
For some reason, that comment tickled me.