Four Great Show Sites – Worth a Visit!

It’s next to impossible for me to say anything bad about dog shows. Forty percent of our weekends are spent at them. I admit it; we’re addicts and often go when not exhibiting.

Four recently attended sites made a very positive impression on me. All had common characteristics.

The four were in order of date:

• The Florida Classic near Brooksville, FL, held the second week of January
• the Fiesta Cluster at West World in Scottsdale, AZ, in late February
• the Texas shows held near the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth Texas in mid March
• Ann Arbor Kennel Club shows held at the Monroe County Michigan Fairgrounds in early July.

I try to attend as many Kerry Blue regional specialties as possible since it provides an opportunity to view a broad representation of our breed. Both Florida and Texas events have regional specialties connected with them.

What makes the four shows inviting are the amenities. They are close to major highways making access convenient to entrants. The sites are large, well laid out and designed to accommodate RV’s and campers. Because of their size, parking, grooming and ring size are not an issue. Tight, small rings, as we all know, do not allow us to see good movement. All of them had adequate rest rooms/port-a-john facilities, which were cleaned or changed over the course of the events. Reasonably priced motels and restaurants are nearby.

Most importantly, the people managing the events and activities were well organized and knew what they were doing. They were friendly, welcoming and made you glad you came.

All of the USKBTC events we’ve attended this year were well managed and reflected positively on the regional club members holding the events. Everybody worked hard to make the shows a success, and in some instances, they were dealing with weather conditions which at best can be described as a nightmare!

You owe yourself an opportunity to visit the Cow Girl Hall of Fame even if you’re not a cowgirl! It’s quite a place and worth the trip.

When making future dog show plans give these events consideration. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Tom Rogers