Rose City Classic Dog Show

Until we got Spike, my lazy beagle, I never had much interest in dogs.  I grew up in a cat family.  My mom LOVED cats and had them as pets for her entire life.  I still love cats, but in the last few years, I’ve become really allergic.  I still like to be around them, but they can’t TOUCH me.  Bad.  Hives.  Hard to breathe.  But that’s okay, because now, I’m a dog person!  I converted.  In the last few years, I’ve discovered that spending time with dogs is good for the soul.   So I was pretty excited when I realized the Rose City Classic Dog show was this weekend and I was available!

I went with one of my best friends, Gloria, a pug lover.  We had two goals: to see the pugs and the beagles, but we ended up staying for a few hours, overwhelmed with all the awesome breeds and people. As soon as we walked in we realized, there were dogs EVERYWHERE!  More dogs than people.  Dogs on leashes, in crates, kennels, sleeping on top of kennels, in laps, in lawnchairs.  And the people…  I’m not going to lie, there was a little “Best In Show” going on.  Some of the handlers were straight out of the movie but in a good way, with fancy outfits and flamboyant presentation.  But that made it even more fun.   Everyone was enjoying the day: the dogs, the owners and the spectators, which included lots of kids.

Out first stop was the pugs.  They were so cute.  I was cheering for the little fat one with lots of rolls.  He had a spunky personality.   I think he won 3rd place.  The pugs seemed to struggle more than the other breeds to behave, but they aren’t known for their brains.  After that we headed to the beagle ring, where the Rhodesian Ridgebacks were finishing up.  What beautiful  animals.  So sleek and proud.  After that, the Afghan Hounds.  Wow.  Talk about a show dog.  Long hair, long face, tall and magestic.  Gloria said they looked like people.  I think they look like lamas.  But they were fun to watch.  The hair was out of control!

Finally, the beagles.  But there were only a couple competing!  I would have been disappointed if it hadn’t been for a little girl showing her dog.  She wore a smart little suit and was so sweet.  She must have also won the judge’s heart because she won!  So cute.  These beagles look nothing like my beagle, they were tiny and with really fat tails.  I just want to kiss those faces.

But dog shows are more than just looks, there’s also agility!  This was the highlight for me.  There were two agility courses, one that was mostly jumps and tunnels, the other that included ramps, seesaw and a pause platform.  I’ve always wanted to try this with Spike so I was facinated.  The dogs were so fast and seemed to be having a lot of fun.  Lots of them barked as they ran through the course, perhaps the human  equivilant of grunting when we work out?   It was so impressive how enthusiastically they ran through the course.

The last thing we did on our way out was stop by the meet-and-greet area.  There were four breeds there for interactions.  We saw an absolutely adorable Bernese Mountain puppy, some huge St. Bernards, Cairn Terriers (I want one!) and Cavalier King Charles.  It was fun to actually be able to pet the dogs and talk with some of the owners while they’re weren’t competing.

It cost $10 per person to get in plus $7 for parking.  It was totally worth it.  It was highly entertaining and I could have spent hours watching the dogs run those agility courses.    If you love dogs, you should go check it out in 2015.