Canfield dog show fetches plenty of pups

By ELISE FRANCO

The show’s 2,347 registered dogs comprised 153 different breeds.

CANFIELD — More than 2,000 pups invaded the Canfield Fairgrounds Thursday morning: Some big, some small — and all ready to take home Best In Show.

Since 1990, the Mahoning County Kennel Club, along with the Columbiana County Kennel Club, the Beaver County Kennel Club and the Fort Steuben Kennel Association, has hosted one of the largest cluster dog shows in the country.

Gael Dameron, chairwoman for the Fort Steuben Kennel Association, said Thursday’s show had 2,347 registered dogs and 153 different breeds.

“So far, so good this year,” she said. “We’ve had better and we’ve had worse.”

One proud owner, Reita Nicholson of Chana, Ill., did some last-minute preparations with her 3-year-old Kerry blue terrier, Cruiser, before his group was ready to show.

“He’s scissored and combed, and now we’re just waiting,” she said.

The Best of Breed champ, also known as Champion Kerrisel’s Cudaman, stood on a table, barely moving while Nicholson, who has been showing dogs for almost 20 years, fluffed the curly fur on his legs.

The dog’s full name is registered with the American Kennel Association. It’s a combination of his breed and her husband’s nickname as a teenager.

“He used to drive a Baracuda,” she said, laughing.

Per Rismyhr, of Hartford, Conn., has been showing for almost 30 years, and is now a professional handler, which means he doesn’t own any of the dogs he shows.

“My favorite part of showing? Winning,” he said. “I’ve won 38 Best In Shows.”

On Thursday afternoon Rismyhr showed BJ, a 4-year-old male cocker spaniel, who is now the National Specialty Champion.

“I had to bathe, blow-dry and trim him to get ready for today,” he said. “It takes at least four hours, and to keep his coat up you have to do it every three to five days.”

Alains Moulton, 16, of Nashville, Tenn., and her 4-year-old Irish setter, Ruben, relaxed under a shaded tent, waiting for their turn around the ring.

Unlike many breeders and handlers, she and Ruben are happy to kick back and enjoy a lemon shake together.

“He sleeps all the time before the show,” Moulton, who has been showing for seven years, said. “And he loves lemonade.”

When it comes time to show, however, she said they’re all business, and thanks to a friend, she’s come up with a way to get her dog focused and ready.

“I say, ‘Bump it,’ to him over and over,” Moulton said. “He gets bored in the ring, so I do that, and it really gets him going.”

Judging begins at 8 a.m. each day and goes until the Best In Show has been chosen, said Dameron, who has been chairwoman for five years.

She said in order to become the coveted Best In Show dog, each breed must show against itself. From there, four groups compete from first, second and third place. The first-place winners of each group compete for the Best In Show title.

“The Best In Show winner gets $100 cash and all the prestige that goes along with it,” Dameron said.

The sponsor of the event, Pedigree dog food, is offering a year’s supply of Pedigree brand dry food or 12 cases of canned food for Best In Show winners from each day’s show.

Each breed has a different set of judging standards, Dameron said.

“It’s based on things like size, coat texture, coat length, color and ear set,” she said. “They look at the dog and choose the one that conforms the best to that particular standard.”