KENNEL CLUB DOG SHOW MEANT TO BE FUN FOR BOTH POOCHES AND PEOPLE

Dogs just wanna have fun.

That's not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to competing in dog shows. Judges at Sunday's Southeast Missouri Kennel Club's Dog Show at the A.C. Brase Arena Building weren't looking for anything less.

"You don't want them to be automatic robots," said Carol Sommerfelt of Collierville, Tenn., a judge in the weekend competition. "You want to be able to look at them but you also want it to be fun."

Sommerfelt is qualified to judge four of the 135 breeds the American Kennel Club recognizes. She said three of the four types are fairly similar but all breeds are judged on specific qualities.

Sommerfelt said she does a visual examination of the dogs, then has them move. She then inspects them more closely. The first thing she looks for is a dog that looks like the kind of dog it's supposed to be.

She said a dog that looks right may win over a more impressive animal that doesn't match the idea of the breed. She said the contest can depend on fine details with closely matched dogs.

Sommerfelt has been breeding dogs for 10 years and has produced two champions. That qualifies her under AKC regulations to judge a contest.

Different breeds were judged in six rings on the Arena floor through the weekend. Owners ran their dogs around the outside of the ring then brought them to the judges for close inspection.

Of the more than 800 dogs shown Saturday and Sunday, two were selected Best In Show. They were chosen from the ranks of winners from each breed.

Saturday's Best In Show was a Great Pyrenee named Champion Tip'N Chip's Maiden America. She is owned by Judith G. Cooper of Barrington, Ill. Sunday's Best In Show was a Briard named Champion Bradir's Fox Lair Gambler, owned by Kenneth and Valerie Fox of Clinton, Md.

Mike Freeman of Gordonville knows the importance of having a happy dog in the competition. He brought his 1-year-old female Great Dane Dede to Sunday's show.

Dede could not sit still as she and Freeman waited their turn. She went from straining on her leash and looking at every passing person to lying on the floor in a great yellow heap. Her anxiousness was best shown when she would occasionally rub her side against Freeman's legs like a giant house cat, knocking him back a step.

Freeman said he has shown dogs who know what competition is all about. He had a male that was well aware of what color ribbon he was getting.

"He knew when he won or lost," Freeman said. "If he lost he would just be down."

Freeman said Danes are fairly easy to prepare for competition. One reason is they're intelligent. Also, "they want to please you," he said.

Audra Snyder of Topeka, Kan., shows dogs professionally. She said a willingness to please is an essential quality of champion dogs.

Snyder said dogs that are food oriented are the easiest to train because that is how they are rewarded. They also have to be less interested in other dogs than they are in making their owners happy.

"If they've never learned any manners in their life then they're kind of hard to train," she said.

Snyder and her husband, Denny, show dogs in about 130 contests a year. She said the dogs have to be kept in good physical condition to prevent them from wearing out from the travel and competition.

Cecile Busch, Southeast Missouri Kennel Club vice president, said this year's show was very successful.

"I believe we've had the most spectators we've ever had," Busch said.