St. Joseph Kennel Club celebrates 100 years with all breeds dog show

By Kendra Simpson

The Civic Area went to the dogs Sunday as the St. Joseph Kennel Club wrapped up its 86th annual show at the venue.

Since 1938, thousands have traveled to St. Joseph every year to test their dogs’ overall appearance, temperament and structure.

This year’s show was especially exciting for the organization as it celebrated its centennial year. Hundreds of dogs showed off their talents and beauty, whether as seasoned professionals or newbies.

One competitor enjoyed the tradition so much that she has bred, trained and competed with more than 50 dogs at regional dog shows for 35 years. Her most recent dog, Daisy, a 1-year-old soft-coated terrier, competed at this weekend’s competition.

“She did pretty well,” competitor Jinx Moore said. “She’s very young and so she hasn’t been to a lot of shows year, but she loves it. Anybody that pays attention to her … well, she loves attention.”

To Moore, these shows are valuable not only for the ranking of dogs but also for teaching children responsibility.

“I think it gets the kids involved. I have a little junior handler and she has learned a lot of discipline and made lots of good friends through showing her dog,” Moore said. “I’m really big on kids having responsibilities and being involved in activities and bettering themselves. I think this is a great way to do it.”

As well as encouraging friendly competition and responsibility, the dog show also supports local commerce and tourism.

To learn more about the St. Joseph Kennel Club and its future events, visit the group’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/StJosephKennelClub.