Yuma Kennel Club hosts dog show at fairgrounds

Toy terriers and huge Great Danes will be strutting their stuff again Sunday and Monday during the 75th American Kennel Club (AKC) Dog Show held at the Yuma County Fairgrounds.

“We are having a four-day AKC dog show, and we have confirmation, which is where you judge the quality of the dog and the performance in the ring of all breeds — this is an all-breed show,” said Edi Sturdivant, Chair of the Yuma Kennel Club, which is hosting the show.

“Each day is a brand new show. We change judges and the times, so each day someone enters, their dog has the opportunity to win.”

Carolyn Hensley, who selects the judges at the event, told the Yuma Sun how it all works.

“We are judging breeding stock for purebred dogs,” she said. “Every single dog here was bred by a purebred breeder, and they want to have that comparison and have judges say they really think their dog is best.”

The event is competitive, Hensley said.

“The ultimate is to win best in show, so you just keep narrowing it down. At the end there are seven dogs, and a judge is going to select one of them overall. It is bragging rights with that dog, and the hopeful outcome is, because their dog has been able to do this, the breeder is able to continually produce the dogs and become more well-known for it.”

The competition is much more than just a beauty contest, Sturdivant said.

“They are also thinking about what each dog was bred to do and they watch them in the ring — how they move and how their stamina is. They want to see how well each dog is geared to do the purpose it was developed for.”

There are about 741 dogs competing at the show, which is open to the public. There is no cost to get in.

The show begins at 8 a.m. Sunday and will continue into the early afternoon.

On Monday, the show begins at 8 a.m. and will end in the early afternoon.

For more information, log onto yumakennelclub07.com.