Expo howling good time for dogs, owners
Agility, obedience and flyball all part of Grand Traverse Kennel Club event
Herald photos by Garret Leiva
Danielle Ruiz gives her German wirehair pointer Jack a hug after completing the agility course during the Grand Traverse Kennel Club Dog Expo Saturday at the Grand Traverse Mall. Other Dog Expo events included flyball, obedience, retrieving, agility course, parade of breeds and a demonstration by the 4-H Northwest Classy K-9 drill team.
Dogs and their owners work up a sweat while running the agility obstacle course. Using hand and verbal commands, owners direct their dogs over jumps, through tunnels and around cones.
Murphy, an 11 year old Labrador retriever, lives up to her name as she searches for a specific object to fetch and bring back to her owner Lu Capra.
Above: Catera, an 11 month old Dalmatian puppy, gives Dave Durdel a slobbery kiss. Dave and Cheri Durdel of Highland Dalmatians were on hand at the Dog Expo to answer questions about the breed.
Below: Molly, an 8 year old Labrador Australia shepherd mix, yawns while waiting to perform with her owner Nathan Britton. The pair are members of the 4-H Northwest Classy K-9 drill team which demonstrates dog obedience training.
Showing off their best country line dance moves, dog and owner take part in a freestyle dancing demonstration during the Grand Traverse Kennel Club Dog Expo.
Dylan Nowland, 10, of Acme Township shows off his dog Izzy during the parade of breeds. Nowland says the chihuahua “thinks he is a cat and acts like a German shepherd.”
Grand Traverse Kennel Club unleashes annual Dog Expo
By LISA PERKINS
Herald staff writer
Crowds gathered at the Grand Traverse Mall Saturday to see what all the barking was about. The sixth-annual Dog Expo, hosted by the Grand Traverse Kennel Club, featured demonstrations of dog agility, obedience and freestyle dancing as well as 4-H drill teams and flyball.
"Our main purpose here today is to educate the public and let our dogs be seen," said Dalmatian breeder and kennel club vice-president Cheri Durdel.
"We want people to know how to buy a puppy from a reputable breeder and that the kennel club is here to help anyone who has a dog, whether they are a purebred or not," she added.
Durdel, who has been breeding Dalmatians for more than 10 years, enjoys showing and competing with her dogs, as well as informing the public about the breed she loves so much.
"Once you have a spotted dog, you don't ever want to go to another breed," she noted.
The owners of the Labradors, goldens, border collies and Irish terriers on hand - just to name a few- would probably beg to differ with that opinion.
Danielle Ruiz, 17-year-old owner of Jake, a German wire-haired pointer, is the president of the Traverse City 4-H Northwest Classy K-9 dog program.
"I love working with the younger kids and helping them get ready to show their dogs. I love working with Jake, too. He just takes everything in stride," she said.
Some dogs take longer strides than others. Brynn, an 11-year-old border collie owned by John and Barbara Peters, doesn't move quite as spryly as he once did. What Brynn lacks in speed however, he makes up for in concentration. Brynn never takes his eye off the ball during flyball demonstrations. He patiently waits for his owner's command and then takes his turn competing.
"Flyball is very popular downstate," said Barb Peters who, along with her husband, started a local flyball team when they moved to Traverse City five years ago.
"We just love the sport of it, the dogs have just as much fun as we do," she said.