Last weekend I got the chance to take in the Alberta Kennel Club winter classic held at Spruce Meadows in Calgary. This was a Conformation, Obedience and Rally competition and the perfect place to find myself some wonderful pets and their people. (Psst…go check out my Pets and the People They Love project page for new additions!) I saw lot of preening and primping going on as I walked around

I truly feel that if you want to buy a purebred dog this is the place to find caring, reputable breeders who are interested in finding good homes for their dogs. I loved watching the obedience and rally competitions here as well. There were competitors at every level, novice to expert. Formal Obedience is very detail and precise with dumbbell, glove and jumps incorporated. Rally (or Rally-O) is more relaxed and about relationship, the handler can talk to the dog more during the course. Here are some of the teams hard at work at Obedience with dumbbell work and then two teams doing the Rally course:
Here are some of the Junior Handlers working with their dogs in the show ring. What a confidence builder for the kids and a bond builder between the kids and their dogs.
There was lots of waiting around time for the dogs and you were able to walk around and interact with the dogs and their owners or handlers. I met some really nice people who loved talking about their pets. The show had a Sheltie and Collie Specialty which meant there were a great number of entries of those breeds at the show (I think there were 35 Shelties!) so a win at a big show like that is quite prestigious.
It was a fun couple of days; I got to meet a Tibetan Terrier breeder that was great to talk to and had adorable dogs. I love this breed (or combinations thereof like Tashi) they are such a cool dog. I learned lots about the different dog sports and got to get out and shoot with my camera. So for me…dogs and camera equal a perfect day! Cheers!