Every dog has its day at the Westminster Doggy Show in Amarillo
There wasn’t a sign of elaborate, expensive canines with pedigrees a mile long at the Westminster Doggy Show Saturday at Stephen F. Austin Park, but there were plenty of well-loved mutts of mysterious origins barking, sniffing and stealing the show.
The Westminster Doggy Show was held Saturday at the Westminster Presbyterian Church (hence the name) in Amarillo, next door to Stephen F. Austin Park, for the third year, this time around. It had been held for several years before, but skipped a few years after the pandemic. The area in front of the church had bright umbrellas and partitioned areas for contests. A small girl strolled around with a bubble machine, and music filled the air as dogs and their owners strolled around watching the fur shows.
According to Event Chairperson Darlene Martin, the popular event was brought back by “popular demand,” and a pure desire to have a “Fun-Raiser” for the public to enjoy being outside, having a good time in the grass with their dogs and kids. She said the event was supposed to be the Saturday before, but due to bad weather, it was rescheduled, leaving a smaller group of vendors and visitors. Martin said that even though it was a smaller event, she had worked on it since Jan. 2. Church volunteers chipped in and helped come up with ideas and contests. Young and old came with their furbaby family members to the event, which featured around 10 creative and wacky competitions judged by Beth Duke.
People gathered around the rings of competition to cheer on the dogs vying for first place in various categories. There was a lot of fur flying in the doggy tummy rub competition, which most of the dogs fully participated in without coaxing, although some had to be helped to flip over.
The Big Trick competition had dogs catching balls, jumping and doing various acrobatics taught by their dedicated owners. The winner of that contest was Hank, who balanced a treat on the end of his nose until his owner let him eat the treat. The Sheldon Brashears family’s other dog, Stormie, had a little stage fright, but she was new to the game and will be back next year with more confidence. Many people sat in the shade in their folding chairs and enjoyed the show, cheering and clapping for the underdogs.
There were several booths around the vicinity with products to give away and sell and a pet blessing for those dogs who might need a little help in toeing the line. Geraniums were sold, and food trucks offered donuts and other specialties. A bouncy house for kids was at the south end of the building.
Many dog owners had rescue dogs, several of whom had tough beginnings, including “Pippin,” who was found in a dumpster and saved by a good person who found the perfect, loving home for her, with proud owner, Carmel Barnhill. She said Pippin was skittish at first, but then began to love the event and people. It took Pippin a long time to trust her owner, but now she’s a loyal companion dog.
The Look-a-Like contest ended in a tie with one of the winners being Carlos Rodriguez and his dog Dantes. He said that he saved his dog who was on the way to being terminated by his owner, when he found out and intervened. His unusual, beautiful dog, who resembles a Chow, turned out to be a Korean Jindo breed. Carlos’s dog is bossed around by his wife’s (Perla Rodriguez) older chihuahua, Chiquita. The senior chihuahua tells the Jindo dog when he can drink water or eat, and he is totally immobilized by the tiny, older dog. Chiquita didn't win any contests but did pretty well in the belly rub. Carlos and his dog wore matching camping shirts from Academy. They felt like the outfit might tilt the scales in their favor a little to win the coveted title.
The other winner was Judy Sharp with her small dog, Angelo, who wore a small Harley cap. The two made a dashing pair with Judy’s large sun hat. Angelo has been her companion for a long time and enjoyed the competition but fought the cap some. Carlos Rodriguez gave Sharp the prize.
Competition was stiff in other contests such as Best at Sitting, Goodest Boy, Best Trick, Looks-Most-Looks-Like-Owner and the Face-Only-a-Mother-Could-Love contests, to name a few.
Each of the many contests had around six or more entrants, and owners and pets enjoyed showing off and doing their thing. There were no protests or gnashing of teeth among dog breeds, just good, clean doggy fun. All the dogs were winners as they proudly took the ring and got to be the center of attention for a few minutes. Their two-legged parents were just as proud as the dogs.
Every dog and human who participated and watched had a howling great time with a lot of laughs, pets and love. Many participants took their winners for a long walk at the park as the day warmed up.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Every dog has its day at the Westminster Doggy Show in Amarillo
