Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..
Mostly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 66F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Judge Nancy Glabicki evaluates German shepherds handled by Lenny Brown, left, and Ashleigh Oldfield during the specialty show on the first day of the Summer Mountain Cluster dog show at the county fairgrounds. The four-day show is cohosted by the Upper Potomac Valley Kennel Club and the Laurel Highlands Kennel Club.
Lenny Brown and Ashleigh Oldfield lead their German shepherds through the specialty show ring.
Judge Nancy Glabicki evaluates German shepherds handled by Lenny Brown, left, and Ashleigh Oldfield during the specialty show on the first day of the Summer Mountain Cluster dog show at the county fairgrounds. The four-day show is cohosted by the Upper Potomac Valley Kennel Club and the Laurel Highlands Kennel Club.
Lenny Brown and Ashleigh Oldfield lead their German shepherds through the specialty show ring.
CUMBERLAND, Md. — The Allegany County fairgrounds has gone to the dogs, but only for the weekend.
Pooches and their owners and handlers from across the country converged on the fairgrounds for the annual Summer Mountain Cluster dog show, hosted by the Upper Potomac Valley Kennel Club and the Laurel Highlands Kennel Club. More than 500 dogs competed across eight rings on Thursday alone, participating in breed-specific categories as well as in obedience and rally courses.
The four-day event takes a full year to coordinate, club presidents Milt Haderer and Gladys Knox both said. Having both clubs work together to coordinate the event helps ensure that the show — an American Kennel Club show that draws entrants from as close as Pennsylvania and West Virginia and as far away as Montana, Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada — runs smoothly and successfully, they said.
The Laurel Highlands club held shows Thursday and Saturday and Upper Potomac on Friday and Sunday.
Along with a large raffle with items contributed by club members, one of the show’s “most unique” features, Haderer said, is having a specialty breed competition occurring at the same time. For the last few years, Haderer said, they’ve featured German shepherds, but in the past have highlighted Borzois and Scottish Deerhounds. The specialty judging is sponsored by the German Shepherd Dog Club of Washington, D.C.
“We’re up 31% from last year on our German shepherd entries” because of the specialty show, Haderer said. “More and more people are hearing about this and coming from a distance.”
COVID-19 precluded them from holding a show in 2020, Haderer said, but the two clubs have held the show together since 2004. The show has expanded from three days to four in that time, Haderer said, and has seen thousands of dogs and their handlers compete over the years.
When competing for breed standards, dogs are evaluated on everything from the texture of their coats to their gait as they move throughout the show ring. Dogs competing in the rally portion are evaluated on how well they work with their owners to complete an obedience obstacle course and, in the obedience ring, dogs work on and off-leash to follow their handlers’ commands.
For judges to learn all the breed standards is no small feat, Knox said.
“If you want to do all of them, you’ve probably got a good 10 years and $100,000,” Knox said. “It’s very expensive. They’re very dedicated people.”
Handlers, too, often spend decades honing their craft, oftentimes starting as children, Haderer said.
One handler, Lenny Brown, traveled from Atlanta to take part in this weekend’s competition. The show is a homecoming of sorts, Brown said, as he originally hails from West Virginia and he’s been coming to the Cumberland show “since I was a kid.”
On Thursday, Brown was working as a handler in the specialty German shepherd show. One shepherd Brown handles, River, won top dog in the herding group at the 146th annual Westminster Kennel Club show earlier this year.
“He’s already got 20 Best in Shows,” Brown said, and they were hoping to leave Cumberland this weekend with another under their belt.
Brown said he participates in as many as 200 shows a year, “but I always try to come up here if I can. It depends on what schedules allow and different things, but it’s definitely always on my radar to come to this dog show.”
“It definitely hits home a little bit. Plus, you can get old-school pizza up here,” Brown said.
Alice Honeycutt, a member of the Upper Potomac club from Cresaptown, and her shaggy Spinone Italiano Giuseppe took part in the rally competition for the first time this year, though it was Honeycutt’s second time participating in a show.
Giuseppe qualified to move forward in the rally event, Honeycutt said, and earlier this year took part in the club’s Fast CAT competition, a 100-yard timed dash for dogs.
At 20 months old, Giuseppe is already an accomplished pup.
“He’s the second-fastest Spinone Italiano in the country,” Honeycutt said.
Aside from having the chance to take part in a competition located close to home, Honeycutt said of the show, “I like the people. They’re very kind.”
Lindsay Renner-Wood is a reporter for the Cumberland Times-News. Follow her on Twitter @LindsayRenWood, email lrenner-wood@times-news.com or call 304-639-4403.
Lindsay Renner-Wood is a reporter for the Cumberland Times-News, covering West Virginia and more. Follow her on Twitter @LindsayRenWood, email lrenner-wood@times-news.com or call 304-639-4403.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.
Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox.
First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.