HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — A five-day competition for four-legged friends is kicking off at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.

The Blue and Gray Cluster Dog Show opens to the public at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

The international show is a part of a decades-long tradition in Harrisburg.

“The Lebanon County Kennel Club started their first show in 1999 with the Harrisburg Kennel Club, and Harrisburg has been doing it for decades more than us. So, we’ve been here for a very long time. It’s tradition,” Linda Rose, president of the Lebanon County Kennel Club said.

This year, Rose says, there are almost 5,000 dogs at the show and throughout the week there will be 17 competitions.

Among these competitions are five all-breed shows, two group shows, including the working group and sporting group, plus, various rare breed shows. Dogs will compete for dog treat awards, and take the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizenship test.

Additionally, Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. visitors can also meet the dogs and talk to their handlers and breeders.

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“The dog show community, it is a great family. We’re friends, we’re competitors, but in the end it is such a supportive group of people and you just enjoy being around them. Plus it’s also nice to showcase your dogs,” Jen Pisarchick breeder and co-owner at the show said.

To learn more about the show, visit Rau Dog Show’s website.

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