The Best at The Weekend's Dog Shows

It was a warm weekend for thousands of dogs to perform for the judges and animal lovers at the campgrounds at Lums Pond State Park, but one of the event's organizers pronounced the whole thing a success.

The Best in Show winners for the Wilmington Kennel Club's shows on Friday and Saturday, and the Penn Treaty Kennel Club's show on Sunday were:

Friday: A Doberman - Ch. Allure Blazing Star Allisaton, owned by Julie Porter, Carmen Pitts and Nancy Bosley of Cary, N.C.

Saturday: A smooth fox terrier - Ch. Foxlorr Double Dare, owned by Jane Gardner and Lorraine Gyenge of Newtown Square, Pa.

Sunday: A boxer. The name and owners were not immediately available.

"It was awfully hot, but we managed," said Martha Doerner, co-chairman of the shows and treasurer for the kennel club. "The three days were just a real success and all the exhibitors were thrilled."

On Saturday, a 160-pound Irish wolfhound named Rebel that I met, had just had a couple of water ices to keep cool as he rested in the shade. He is a former competitor, but was at the shows this weekend as a Canine Good Citizen. The 6-year-old pooch from southern Virginia is a therapy dog to people undergoing rehab. (They don't have to bend down at all to pet this gentle dog.)

And I watched the Portuguese water dogs in action. They are beautiful dogs, who are attentive to their handlers and seem filled with energy.

Walk for the Animals Saturday in Rehoboth

Talk some water and a portable or not-so-portable dish if you're participating in Saturday's Walk for the Animals at the Beach.

The two-mile walk - a fundraiser for the Delaware Humane Association - begins with registration at 11 a.m. and the walk at noon at the north end of the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk. On-site sign-ups are welcome. Registration is $25.

For every $10,000 raised, the humane association's spay/neuter team gives a day of free spay/neuter surgeries. That's a win-win for animals and the people who love them.

Sandy Leigh from the humane association says about 200-300 people and their dogs are expected. "And it's going to be such a nice day," she added.

Nice - and warm. The forecast calls for sunshine and clouds mixed, with a high of 83 and southwesterly winds at 5-10 mph. That's especially hot for this time of year, so, if you're walking, you and your dog will need to keep hydrated. Pack a dish and get him or her a drink or two along the way.

A Warning About Lawn Mowers and Hiding Cats

What happened to Mia (right) is a painful and shocking reminder for all cat owners, especially during this time of the year.

Lorraine passed along her sad story in hopes that her pain might not be repeated by another cat owner. Her husband pulled out the lawn mower last weekend and went back into the shed. Their cat Mia crawled under the lawn mower and up into the grass catcher.

When her husband John returned, he had no idea that Mia was in the grass catcher and he started the mower. He heard a thumping.

"He stopped the mower and lifted the bottom and Mia ran out before the blades stopped," Lorraine wrote to me. "It took us an hour to catch her because she was in shock."

As you might imagine, Mia's injuries are many. Her left paw is broken and she had to have her toes amputated. Her right foot is fractured and twisted, and her bottom lip was torn from her jaw.

Lorraine said Mia underwent surgery and is recovering, but it all will take time.

To avoid the kind of horror that Lorraine and John went through, please remember to check under your lawn mower for cats and other small animals - just as it's important to pop your car hood and check the engine since cats love to curl up there, especially if the engine is still warm from running. It's a curiosity that many of them just cannot resist.

Lorraine's pain is apparent, but her concern for others to avoid something similar is abundant: "[It's] a horrifying and expensive lesson learned that maybe another family (or cat) won't have to go through."

What You'll See at the Dog Shows This Weekend

The Wilmington Kennel Club holds it annual dog shows this weekend at Lums Pond. Yes, that's "shows" plural. There's a fully contained dog show Friday, culminating with a best in show top dog. Another on Saturday. And, actually, a third show this year run by the Penn Treaty Kennel Club, based in Downingtown, Pa.

The shows, which run from 9 a.m. until the best in show is chosen each day - about 4:30 p.m. Friday; 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday - are at the Lums Pond State Park campgrounds, with the entrance on Del. 71. Admission is $5 each day; $3 for seniors and children 5 and older; free for kids younger than 5.

The dog shows are a great opportunity to see the best of your favorite breed, or to get a look at a breed you aren't familiar with, says Martha Doerner, the show chairman and treasurer of the Wilmington Kennel Club.

To find out when specific breeds, which can mean anywhere from one dog to 69 (the popular golden retriever), go the kennel club's Web site and click on Friday's or Saturday's judging schedules. Several breeds go at the same time in mostly eight different rings. There are two bigger rings for the breeds with the most dogs.

"It's seeing what a well-bred dog is," she says, "should look like, act like, behave like." Dogs are judged, not against each other, but against the standard for each breed.

Doerner recommends your first stop be the information booth. The people staffing it can not only explain how the dog show is set up and what you can see where, but they also can offer advice on taking care of your own dogs, and information about pure-bred dogs and what the sport of dog shows is all about.

And Doerner also suggests that you talk to dog owners and handlers - after they're finished showing - to get more insight about specific breeds, grooming or handling a dog.

"Once they're done, they're normally pretty open to talking to people," says Doerner, who knows a thing or two about the nerves associated with showing dogs. She has shown dogs for 40 years, and now breeds and shows wire-haired dachshunds. She won't have any of her dogs in the weekend shows because she's so closely involved with putting on the event.

One reminder: Don't bring your dog to the shows. They can distract the show dogs and just cause a general ruckus if they're not used to being around so many other dogs - between 1,100 to 1,500 dogs are showed each day.

The Dog She Fell Into a Well For

roscoe.dan, originally uploaded by jillfredel.

UPDATE: The alert readers are right. Roscoe definitely is a French bulldog. I know that. My notes show that. And I just typed "English," instead of "French."

Now, you can totally understand why Tina Davis fell into a well and had to be rescued by the Volunteer Fire Company of Chesapeake City.

Tina tumbled into a 20- to 30-foot-deep well Wednesday afternoon in Chesapeake City trying to rescue Roscoe, her 4-month-old French bullbog. A friend of hers called authorities for help when Tina couldn't get all of the way out - with Roscoe - by herself.

On Thursday, Tina said she was feeling fine, just some scrapes and bruises - and a little wounded pride. Roscoe, she reported, was absolutely fine - not a scratch on him.

It took fire officials about 10 minutes to get Davis out of the well. She had hoisted herself and Roscoe most of the way up on a rope, but had gotten stuck. Firefighters to the rescue of the rescuer.

From One Porty Owner to the Most Famous Ones

As the Obamas get ready to introduce First Dog Bo (above) to the country on Tuesday, a local Portuguese water dog owner isn't sure it's the right choice for first-time dog owners. (Obama daughters Malia and Sasha chose the name Bo, apparently in honor of their maternal grandfather, who went by the nickname Diddley.)

Ruthann Sydnor sent me an e-mail about her four PWDs (two of them are below).

"Not only are they active and intelligent, but they just love life. However, having had two litters, I know how much work it is and the pitfalls of having puppies.

"I do not like the idea that the first family has picked this breed. It is not a dog for everyone, and never a good idea as your first time having a dog."

Sydnor says Portuguese water dogs have to be watched and kept busy. "They are so smart they can open things you cannot believe could be opened by a dog and they can/will eat anything. As I say it, they are Billy goats. My first eat the spindles on my staircase, they really love wood."

Despite her misgivings about the Obamas as first-time dog owners - albeit with a White House staff who is sure to help take care of 6-month-old Bo and keep him from chewing on the staircases - Sydnor is enthusiastic about the breed.

"Overall, you could not ask for a better dog. They love to be with people, are great with kids and are very active."

Work It Out With Personal Ponies

There's got to be a middle ground between Personal Ponies - and its five Shetland ponies who have entertained so many kids - and New Castle County's concern over liability issues involving the housing of the ponies at Carousel Park. The good news is that both sides will talk Monday.

News Journal reporter Angie Basiouny reported last week that Patty Draper, executive director of the state chapter of the nonprofit group, said she had received notice from the manager of Carousel Park that she must remove the ponies by April 30. County officials said volunteers had tended to the ponies three times in recent months after park hours, creating a potential liability for the county when no employee was on hand to supervise them and watch out for their safety.

"This all was such a shock and a surprise," says Draper, who despite being caught off guard by the move by county officials, wants to keep the ponies at Carousel if a deal can be reached.

Draper is scheduled to meet with Michael Svaby, acting general manager for the county's Special Services Department, on Monday. And she'll likely have Rich Abbott, a former County Councilman and attorney, along with her to make her case. Abbott offered to represent Personal Ponies pro bono.

Personal Ponies is a national group with chapters in nearly every state and abroad. At Carousel Park and at public and private events, the ponies are there for kids - sick, disabled and abled - to pet, groom, feed, lead and even nuzzle - or be nuzzled, as Glory did to Henry Kuratle V in the 2006 photo (above) by Fred Comegys.

Since November 2006 - when the county took in the program free of charge - the ponies at Carousel have touched the lives of hundreds of kids. Here's hoping the two sides can find a way for something good for kids and families to continue.