Shorty has a dog's life: a loving owner who takes him to work with her, excellent care and the chance to strut his stuff every so often in dog shows.
This weekend, Shorty, a miniature poodle owned by Mary Belanger of Traverse City, will be one of more than 600 dogs who will participate in the Grand Traverse Kennel Club's 2006 Dog Show and Obedience Trial. Held Friday through Sunday at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center, the show will feature everything from rally events and a puppy extravaganza to agility runs and judging for dogs of all shapes and sizes.
As for Shorty, a rescue dog, he will be quite busy over the weekend with rally, obedience and agility events — it's all play to him.
"The dogs really enjoy it," said Belanger, owner of Classy Canines in Traverse City who has been showing dogs for 20 years. "We travel around to shows pretty much in Michigan, it's fun to go to shows and see people you see at other shows."
Dogs participating in the Grand Traverse Kennel Club show will come from around the state and Midwest, with some from as far away as Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Thirty-four dogs registered will be traveling more than 300 miles with their owners to the show.
The annual Grand Traverse Kennel Club show, an American Kennel Club certified event, injects a burst of revenue into the local economy. Even surging gas prices have not impacted registration numbers, which are higher than last year's.
"A lot of shows are down this year but we're up a little bit and the reason is people make this a vacation," said Elaine Suter, president of the Grand Traverse Kennel Club. "People are getting more picky about how they spend their dog show money, but they still do this one. It does bring a lot into the community."
Suter, who recently moved to the Lansing area with her husband, Mark, shows Portuguese Water Dogs. She has been training and showing dogs for 22 years and travels to shows around the region.
"Two weekends ago I was at a show with 1,200 dogs," said Suter, who is chair of this weekend's Grand Traverse Kennel Club show. "That was a lot of dogs."
At noon on Saturday, the Grand Traverse Kennel Club will welcome two K-9 deputies from the Grand Traverse Sheriff's Department and one K-9 officer from the Traverse City Police Department. The club will present donations of $1,000 to the Sheriff's Department and $500 to the Police Department to help defray costs of the dogs.
"Those donations are intended to provide equipment or anything associated with expenses specifically related to the dogs: vet bills or training seminars," said Stu Nunneley, a member of the club who helped organize this event. "This is a one-time thing on the part of our club because we're a rather small operation but we wanted to demonstrate to the law agencies and the community that we fully support the ongoing K-9 operations that provide safety to the public and officers involved."
The Grand Traverse Kennel Club All-Breed Dog Show will be held on Friday from 2-7 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center. Admission is free on Friday while Saturday and Sunday it is $2 for adults, $1 for children and seniors; a family plan is available for $5. Organizers recommend arriving before 3:30 p.m. at the latest on Saturday and Sunday. Show times for specific breeds will be posted at the Civic Center by Friday morning.