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Red Deer and District Kennel Club hosts Fall Dog Show

The Red Deer and District Kennel Club’s Fall Dog Show is one of the biggest indoor dog shows in Canada.
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Hanna Campbell, of Calgary, grooms her dog Mandarin at the Red Deer and District Kennel Club’s Fall Dog Show this past weekend. (Photo by Sean McIntosh/Advocate staff)

The Red Deer and District Kennel Club’s Fall Dog Show is one of the biggest indoor dog shows in Canada.

The all-breed championship show featured licensed obedience and rally trials at Westerner Park’s Agricentre this past weekend.

“We ran through about 1,800 dogs over the weekend in our four rings, with all seven groups represented,” said Jo-Ann Hammond, show director.

The seven major dog groups are sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting and herding. Obedience trials tests standard commands such as heel, sit and stay. Hammond describes rally as a “dynamic obedience,” where there’s a course a dog goes through.

“This was not our biggest show, but it was a really good show for the Thanksgiving weekend,” said Hammond.

The fall show was traditionally held during the first weekend of November, but when the Canadian Finals Rodeo started coming to Red Deer the RDDKC had to readjust its show to another weekend.

“The Canadian Kennel Club has so many shows, so this was pretty much the only other date we could get,” Hammond said adding the Agricentre is the perfect venue for this kind of event.

“We are, right now, close to be the biggest indoor show in Canada – here in little old Red Deer. It’s because of this venue. People love it here. We can draw from the north and we can draw from the south. Everybody comes here.”

Hammond said the show featured puppies as young as four months old, to veterans dogs – the oldest entrant was 15 years old.

“The class dogs are competing for points – it takes 10 points to get your Canadian championship. You can go on from there for grand champion and lots of other things,” she said.

“For obedience and rally, you have to pass your test three times to get your title there.”

The 2022 Spring Dog Show was the first event the RDDKC hosted since the COVID-19 pandemic. It was exciting to be back for the second event of the year, Hammond noted.

The Canadian Kennel Club recently changed the rules to allow crossbred dogs into the trials – in the past it was only for purebreds.

“Performance is performance. I believe everybody’s dog should have basic household manners and that would be your companion dog title. Sit, stay, come heel – that’s all they have to do. It’s a lot harder than you’d think.”



sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com

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The Red Deer and District Kennel Club hosted its Fall Dog Show this past weekend at Westerner Park. (Photo by Sean McIntosh/Advocate staff)


Sean McIntosh

About the Author: Sean McIntosh

Sean joined the Red Deer Advocate team in the summer of 2017. Originally from Ontario, he worked in a small town of 2,000 in Saskatchewan for seven months before coming to Central Alberta.
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