Local dog show brings dogs from across the state to Starkville
People and dogs alike came from across the Golden Triangle and other parts of Mississippi for the GTR Kennel Club Dog Show.
STARKVILLE, MISS. (WCBI) – People and dogs alike came from across the Golden Triangle and other parts of Mississippi for the GTR Kennel Club Dog Show.
Ashley Neal works at a veterinary clinic in Hattiesburg. She has been competing with her chihuahuas for 3 years.
She says that the shows are about more than just showing off your furry friend.
“These dog shows are about judging breeding stock. That’s the whole purpose of the dog show, we call it confirmation shows, how does your dog conform to whatever your written breed standard is? That’s what we do here. We judge them against their written standard and we kind of pick and see what fits the standard and what doesn’t because our goal is to breed healthy puppies,” Neal said.
She said that she got into showing because of her first chihuahua.
“I got into dog shows because the first chihuahua I ever got, I got him for like $300 on Facebook and he is my heart and soul, I love him dearly. But he has got health problems and he is not like structurally sound enough to be able to do agility and run and do all of the fun things I like doing with them. So when I started learning about ethical breeding and dog shows that is kind of how I got into it,” Neal said.
Kennedy Bearden is a kennel club member and a participant.
She talked about why the club hosts the show.
“We bring this show to Starkville because there are not really many shows in Mississippi that go on so we try to do one here because it is a great facility and it’s easy for those that live in Mississippi,” Bearden said.
Club members and participants agree the show provides a connection for them and their dogs.
“It’s a good bonding experience with the dogs. Especially for the little tiny tikes like this, the big dog shows, the giant dogs, it’s loud it’s crazy and it’s a nice bonding and confidence-building experience for them,” Neal said.
“Winning obviously is like the bonus to showing but also spending time with your dogs is the main thing about it,” Bearden said.
The Golden Triangle Kennel Club also holds obedience classes at various times throughout the year.
