A Pumi at a previous AKC dog show (Courtesy/Chris Levy)
Chris Levy, president of the Silver Falls Kennel Club, doesn’t remember the last time there was an AKC dog show in Salem.
“All I can tell you is it was more than ten years ago,” she said. Before then, the event was held every year starting in 1972.
The event returns Saturday and Sunday at the Oregon State Fairgrounds.
Competing are more than 1,000 dogs of more than 100 breeds. Levy said those include rare breeds such as Pumi, Bluetick Coonhound and Otter Hound.
“When you watch it on TV, people tend to think it’s a beauty contest,” she said. “There’s so much more that’s involved.”
There are three types of competitions, according to a press release:
-Rally, where dogs and handlers move through a course with 10 to 20 signs that show actions like circle, sit, down and stay.
-Obedience has dogs walk on- and off-leash, jump or show they’re able to stay. It’s open to all dogs that are well-behaved at home, in public and around other dogs.
-A conformation show has a judge who is informed about a dog breed evaluate dogs based on how closely they match the breed standard for ears and other traits based on what people relied on the breed for historically.
Dogs are not allowed at the event if they are not participating, Levy said.
The event will be held at the Oregon State Fairgrounds and Expo Center at 2330 17th St. N.E. on March 12 and 13 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. Admission is free.
More information about the event’s schedule is available on the Silver Falls Kennel Club website.
-Ardeshir Tabrizian
