Man's best friend struts their stuff

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| Saturday, May 8, 2004 10:07 PM CDT | () comments

Kelly Steuck

The QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island honored man's best friend Saturday, more than 1,100 of them to be more exact, as it hosted the Scott County Kennel Club Dog Show this weekend.

"All these dogs are athletes in some way, shape or form," said Karla Bertram, show chairman and board member of the Scott County Kennel Club.

These athletes came to the Quad-Cities, primarily from Midwestern states, to strut their stuff in four venues of American Kennel Club, or AKC, competition � Conformation, Obedience, Agility and Junior Showmanship.

The AKC has 570 member clubs and more than 4,000 affiliated clubs, which includes the Scott County Kennel Club. A dog registered with the AKC comes from a lineage of purebreds.

Conformation competitions is what most of people may associate with the words "dog show." That is the first event spectators see when they enter the Expo Center. It is a competition design to evaluate breeding stocks.

Conformation has fours levels � class, breed and group competition, and Best In Show.

During class competition the dog earns points based on breed standards, such as structure, temperament and movement. Each dog must be at least six months old, registered with AKC, and cannot be spayed or neutered.

Each breed belongs to one of seven groups � sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting and herding. Winners here advance to Best in Show � winner of the coveted red, white and blue ribbon.

Scoring works a bit differently during obedience trials. Each dog begins with 200 points that are taken away for mistakes. "It is very precision oriented," Bertram said. "The dog and handler are a team, they work together."

Growing in AKC popularity are the agility trials. These are timed events where handlers guide their dogs through tunnels and over hurdles in an obstacle course. The goal is to have the fastest time with the least points taken away for mistakes.

Dee Lulik of Mt. Prospect, Ill., believes that Jack Russels, shelties, border collies and Australian shepherds probably fare best in agility competitions. But that doesn't keep her from having fun on the course with her two airedale terriers, Darby and Kaleigh.

"If you start with a good relationship with the dog you're ahead of the game," said Lulik, who started competing in obedience trials in high school.

Finally, there is Junior Showmanship, a competition that judges the handler rather than the dog. Handlers in this venue are 10 to 18 years of age and are judged on their presentation of the dog.

For Amanda Duncan of Milan, Ill., this show in the Junior Showmanship area is one of her favorites. Though 15, she has been showing shiba inus for five years. She has even won Best Junior Handler at this event in the past.

"I like to win," she said.

This weekend she is in conformation competition with Jasper. While this is only Jasper's second show, the 6-month-old already has earned two points toward her championship.

"I've always loved dogs," Duncan said.

The Scott County Kennel Club dog show concludes at 4 p.m. today. Admission is $1 (children 12 and under are free) and concessions are available. Additional parking can be found in the lot across from MidAmerican Energy Co. on 5th Avenue, with shuttle service provided.

The club teaches handling and obedience classes. For more information, call (309) 496-2241.

The city desk can be contacted at (563) 383-2245 or newsroom@qctimes.com.