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The dog show prefaces the Adams Agricultural Fair, which continues on Friday, Aug. 3, with the Cruise-In at 6 p.m. Dog show categories included best dressed, owner look-alike, most unique ears, best singer, best mixed breed, best trick and best tail.
Breaking stereotypes
Working against the stereotype of the aggressive pit bull, Bailey was very friendly with the people and other dogs at the event. Still a large and powerful animal, he was sporting a leather restraint harness and pair of sunglasses that won him the best-dressed blue ribbon. But it was his relationship with his owner, Erica Jellison of Clarksburg, that won him the Tigger Award.
"When we first got him, he couldn't be left alone. He wasn't bathroom trained, he'd tear the place up and try to jump out the windows," Jellison said. "Now he's very friendly and well behaved — and he sleeps on the bed every night, which is kind of a pain but if that's all,
The Tigger Award is given in memory of former Woof & Wag volunteer Nancy Kelson, who died in 2005. She had a poodle named Tigger, whom she was very close to, and the award has been given out in her honor ever since.
But Bailey wasn't the only dearly loved dog with a history at the show — 10 pooches were entered into the contest this year, more than double last year's number. Event organizer Missy Meyer-Wood said she hopes it could get as big as the Aggie Fair.
"It's been progressively turning out a few more dogs each year and, hopefully, with more advertising and word of mouth it will keep being a good turnout," Wood said. "I hope it gets big enough to get some vendors out here for just the dog show. I'd like it to last the whole afternoon and get businesses out here to set up tables."
This year's contestants included Li'l Willie, the papillon who was a Thanksgiving-time replacement for a recently deceased pet. And Jackson the German short-haired pointer, who wanted to get out from under the Bowe Field tent and run. There was Moses the toy poodle whom his owner described as "the ugliest little dog when he was rescued" but who managed to get first prize for best tail at the show. There was Jada, a chocolate Labrador who is almost ready to compete in agility trials, and Lucy the pug, whose bonnet managed to get her a second place in the best-dressed category.
The winner and only contestant for the best trick category was Max the golden retriever, owned by Wood. Wood's nephew, 9-year-old Calob Cunnigan, entered the event with Max. Calob kicked a soccer ball and Max, with a deflated, grody old ball in his mouth, chased it down, stopped it and dribbled it back.
"One day I saw a soccer ball at my aunt's house, and I asked her if Max liked to play soccer and she said to find out, so I started kicking it," Calob said. "He needs to have an old ball in his mouth so he doesn't chomp down on the one he's chasing, but he's highly trained to play soccer."
Crowd favorite and winner of best mixed breed was Zoe — a "ratoodle" the judges decided — who is a mix between a rat terrier and a poodle. Despite being full of energy, it was decided that Zoe would be picked last if the dogs formed teams to play soccer with Max.
Zoe's owner, longtime Aggie Fair volunteer Patricia Wheeler, said the dog show would be bigger if it wasn't overshadowed by the demolition derby later in the week. She said it has been slowly growing in size.
"There's a limited number of volunteers that can devote their time to it, plus the demolition derby is always pushed because it brings in more money," she said. "This is the third year of the dog show. The first year we tried to do it at the actual fair but it was too hard to have dogs on the grounds with the other animals. The chickens get scared of the dogs and the horses get startled if the dogs get loose."
