“Things are pretty much a go at this point,” show superintendent Kathy Horne said. “We’re now just waiting until the Thursday prior to the show to get into the Exhibition Association to set up.”
The All Breeds dog show has been running since the 1930s. While the number of spectators varies from year to year, Horne emphasized that the event is mostly geared toward the exhibitors.
Dogs from across the Prairie provinces and British Columbia are expected to participate.
“Sometimes we have dogs show up from the States,” event secretary Patricia Button said.
Six shows will be held over the weekend, with one in the morning and one in the afternoon on each day. The morning shows will start at 9 a.m. and the afternoon shows will start at 2 p.m. There is a limit of 175 dogs per show.
“Some people will bring more than one dog,” Button said. “There will be between 60 and 80 people.”
A judge evaluating the dogs will be assigned to each of the six shows, with seven prizes also being awarded for each show. The points that exhibitors collect are also added to each their overall totals.
“Any time you win at any level, you get points. And those points are accumulated. There’s a database with the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC), so it’s determined who’s got the most points across Canada in a particular breed,” Horne said.
Part of the criteria to enter the event involves having dogs that are CKC registered, meaning they have to be purebred.
The CKC takes all of the recognized breeds of dogs and places them into seven groups, according to Button. The groups consist of sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting and herding dogs.
“When these dogs go under the judges, the judges will choose the dog that resembles its breed closest to the breed standard,” Button said. ”(For example,) if you’re in the working and herding groups, you don’t want a soft-muscle dog. You want something that’s in good shape strength wise.”
The cost to enter each dog is between $25-$27, Button said. Entry cost for spectators is $2 per adult, $1 for seniors and youth under the age of 12 and $5 per family.
The Prince Albert SPCA, which is supported by the PAKOC, is manning the entrance door for the event, and as a result, will keep the amount made off the admission fees.
“We thank the community for its support,” Horne said.
For more information about the PAKOC, visit:
alex.dipietro@paherald.sk.ca
