Some of the best dogs in Western Canada were in Prince Albert last weekend as the Prince Albert Kennel and Obedience Club hosted their All Breed Championship Show from Dec. 28-30 at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre.
The show serves as a conclusion to the yearly dog show season, according to Liana Maloney of the Prince Albert Kennel and Obedience Club.
“It was the last show of the year in Canada, and it was a great opportunity for all the top dogs in Canada to compete for their year-end points, which cut off Dec. 31,” Maloney explained. “We have some of the top dogs in Canada here and we had a few dogs running for the roses for their top points for their breed, so it was nice.”
Maloney said there was a Christmas flight ban on dogs who may otherwise have competed at a bigger show in Ontario the same weekend. With that flight ban in place, the Prince Albert show
opened up opportunities for dogs in Western Canada.
“We thought it should be fair for everybody and we should have an opportunity for our Prairie people to come in and get the points on their dogs too,” Maloney said. “It was nice to see a lot of local Saskatchewan dogs in there going for their top dog points.”
There were 175 dogs entered into the competition with dogs from Alberta, British Columbia and as far away as Wisconsin.
“The show filled very quickly, the show entry had a waiting list to get in which is exciting,” Maloney said.
“It’s a popular show,” she added.
The Best in Show over the three days was Hefner, a Golden Retriever from Edmonton, who took home three Best in Shows and one Reserve Best in Show over the three days and ended 2023 as the eighth best Dog of All Breeds in Canada.
Other categories included Puppy, Altered and Veteran Winners. Maloney explained that Altered is a new Championship class where you can show your spayed or neutered registered dog.
“It’s great for families who want to own and show a dog but don’t want to breed,” she said.
Maloney explained that the Kennel Club is preparing to celebrate their 100th Anniversary this summer with a special show at the Exhibition Grounds from Aug. 27-29, plus a junior handling competition, a and a specialty breed show to encourage entries.
“We’re going to be having, barbecues, we’re going to welcome the public to come, maybe have meet the breed table so they can come and learn about purebred dogs and different breeds and different characteristics they have and be able to ask the Kennel Club people questions,” Maloney said.
She explained that people might not know as much about purebred dogs as people in the Kennel Club and they can provide some guidance.
“We want people to learn about purebred dogs and whether particular breeds are going to suit their lifestyle,” Maloney explained.
“The people who are breeding these dogs we are preserving the breed and we’re keeping the heritage of the breed. I’ve been breeding my particular breed for 46 years. We can help people just to match what they want. Sometimes what they think they want isn’t going to match. We’re honest with it with people. We want people to know.”
Maloney added that they are also trying to find ways to get children into the art of dog breeding.
“There’s a junior handling programme with the Canadian Kennel Club, and there’s also a new 4H dog club started up locally so that’ll work hand in hand with encouraging kids and helping them, learning, not just about purebred dogs but about general knowledge of dogs and dog safety and dog training. That’s a pretty big thing too,” Maloney said,
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
