Dog show brings smiles, wagging tails at fairgrounds

Sep. 18—Jacquie Kaye said her 1-year-old son, Ari, laughed for the first time when he was 2 months old — after seeing their dachshund mix, Gunner, fetch something.

On Monday, at the Youth Dog Agility Demonstrations, Kaye and her dad, Sean Tobin, were hoping for more laughs from Ari.

Dogs jumped over bars, ran up A-frame obstacles, and trotted through tunnels on Monday during a demonstration of agility and training at The Great Frederick Fair.

The demonstration was one of many events of the Youth Dog Show, which included tests of showmanship, obedience, costume creativity, and tricks, Chief Steward Cully Leck said.

Obedience measures how well a dog preforms on a set number of exercises, while showmanship measures how well a handler shows a dog, Leck said.

Sarah Younkers and her dog Rosie were the overall champions of showmanship. Leck said Younkers has won before.

Leck audits entries to the dog show, making sure judges and competitors — dog and human — are in the correct places, and generally sees that things run smoothly.

He said he got his start in dog show stewardship in Frederick, including at the fair, and has since expanded it as a business across the country.

The agility event on Monday afternoon was a demonstration. Competitions were held earlier in the day for tricks, costumes, and skills such as obedience.

Dogs displayed tricks like putting a paw on an object, playing dead and "say your prayers," in which they sit down, put their front paws together and bow their heads, Leck said.

In the agility demonstrations, golden retrievers, a border collie mix and other dogs jumped over bars and through a ring, often to the delight and cheers of the crowd. Their owners ran next to them.

In one round on the course, June, a golden retriever owned by Catalina Caretti, 13, of Woodsboro, ran around a ring suspended in the air instead of jumping through it.

That dog is "so happy, it doesn't know what to do with itself," said Christy Thrailkill of New Market, watching from the stands.

June and Caretti ran back to the ring, giving it another try. June leaped through it, and the crowd clapped for her.

The ring jump gave more than one dog trouble in the demonstration.

This is a tough environment for competition, as it is full of distractions, from additional spectators to food, Caretti said before the agility demonstrations.

Typically, she and her golden retrievers, Gwen and June, attend dog showing events in an indoor room, not at a fair full of smells, she said.

She and June excelled in the Canine Dress-Up event earlier Monday.

Caretti wore a chef's apron while June wore a red-and-white checkered tablecloth and a "table," on her back. A faux plate of spaghetti and meatballs was on the table, with a fork and napkin.

Caretti said she got into dog training shows after her mom, Michelle Kluchurosky, a veterinarian, saw in 2019 that June seemed to want more to do than run around the yard. They got into a dog club, then entered competitions.

Kristyn Mauzy, 17, said she trained her border collie mix, Sadie, in a park to help her learn how to focus with loud children nearby.

They won third in the costume competition.

Mauzy dressed as Winnie the Pooh. Sadie dressed as Piglet. Mauzy's other dog, Harper, a toller mix, dressed as Eeyore.

Sadie delighted young children in the crowd with her paws still pink from her Piglet costume, as she ran around the agility course.

Mauzy and Sadie placed first in the Tricks competition in their class.

After the competition, Sadie demonstrated the "orbit" trick for a treat, in which she had to rotate around Mauzy while walking backwards.

Dog lovers were in the audience, like Steve and Kim Sines, whose miniature pinscher, Peaches, died in June.

"We are looking for a new dog, and we love dogs," Steve Sines said.

"So we always like to check them out," Kim Sines said.

Asked what they like best about dogs, Kim Sines said: "Unconditional love."