Purebred pooches of all colours, shapes and sizes will congregate at the Bundaberg Recreational Precinct this weekend for the 2019 Purebred Allbreeds Dog Show.
The event will showcase more than 300 pedigree dogs over two days competing for the prestigious Best In Show award.
According to dog owner, judge and competitor Benita Mangin, the event is held four times a year, with the region's three kennel clubs getting involved.
“If you want to see a good representation of purebred dogs looking their best, a dog show is the best place to go,” she said.
“A conformation dog show is considered to be a beauty contest, but there’s a lot more to it than that.”
Benita said at an all-breed dog show, the focus was in the dog's conformation or overall appearance and structure.
“Judges examine the dogs and rank them in accordance to how close each compares with a mental image of the ‘perfect' dog as described in the breed's official standard,” she said.
“Dogs are judged in a process of elimination that results in the selection of one Best of Breed dog, all of which then compete against each other for Best in Show, the ultimate award.
“Dog show judges look at the dog’s appearance, body structure, shape of the head and eyes, proper bite, how the dog moves (his gait) and if the dog is able to perform the task he/she was bred to do.”
Benita said when a dog meets conformation it means they conform to the ideal breed standard.
In the upcoming show, Benita said seven dog groups would be judged including toy, terrier, gun, working, utility and non-sporting.
“These groups include a range of different breeds from tiny dogs, labradors and golden retrievers, rottweilers, German shepherds, border collies, poodles and much more,” she said.
“The judge is specially licensed to judge all of these different breeds for the show.”
Benita loves taking care of her pups
As current secretary of the Hervey Bay Kennel Club (based in Bundaberg), dog show competitor and judge, Benita has seen her fair share of the dog show world and it's something she said she had a great passion for.
“I love everything about it,” she said.
“It's competitive, I absolutely love the dogs and as a judge I get to travel all over Australia and overseas.”
Benita said she was a mum to jack russell terriers and smooth fox terriers who have all competed in a range of different dog shows.
“Getting them prepared for a show takes quite a few weeks,” she said.
“I usually have to start preparing their coat four weeks in advance and maintain it each and every week after that.”
Benita said being part of a canine club was not only a great social activity and hobby for the humans involved, but was also of great benefit to the pups.
“The great part about dog showing is being able to provide the utmost care to your dogs,” she said.
“These dogs are all so well looked after and these events are all about promoting sound, healthy and happy animals.
“Because these dogs are all purebred and come with papers, owners are able to keep a detailed check of each animals medical history which helps to eliminate any medical problems within the breed in the future.”
Event details
The 2019 Purebred Allbreeds Dog Show will be held on Saturday, 12 October and Sunday, 13 October 2019 from 9am to 3pm at the Bundaberg Recreational Precinct, 7 Kendalls Road.
The event is free for the community to attend.
