Dog community revives prestigious dog show after seven years

THE KwaZulu-Natal dog show community has revived the prestigious Supreme Dog Show. Making its return after seven years, the dog show will be hosted on November 25 at the Summerveld Country Lodge. The show was launched 29 years ago with the aim for dogs and their owners to show different skills at provincial level competing for the Nationals.

Explaining more about the event, Maria Scott, the secretary of the Natal Terrier Club, said there will be three titles to be won: Supreme Veteran, Supreme Puppy and Supreme Adult. The show will be entered by many different clubs from the province. “The Kennel Union of Southern Africa (Kusa) has a controlling council in each province, which is made up of all the clubs and different breeds. We have dog-jumping clubs, agility clubs, and discipline clubs.

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“To understand why a dog wins, we need to go back to the judging process. Each judge has to write an exam on breeds to qualify – the exam is either about groups or breeds. We have seven groups in South Africa: Gundogs, Herding, Hounds, Terriers, Toys, Utility and Working. Each group has multiple breeds, and each breed has a standard describing what that breed should look like in detail, including its movement.

“When a judge awards a dog with first place, they believe the exhibit is the closest to the breed standard. To obtain the title of Supreme Veteran, Puppy or Adult, it means that the three judges believe your dog to be the best. This competition is judged by all three breed judges,” explained Scott.

Explaining why the event had been off for the past seven years, Scott said among many other reasons, sponsorship was the challenge. “This event is expensive, and sponsorship is not easy to get with our current economic climate. It is also very time-consuming to put together. I have been showing dogs for 29 years and have watched a steady decline, particularly in this province. Our shows 29 years ago drew thousands of entries, and today, we are lucky if we get 250. Gauteng has shows almost every weekend, but people don’t need to travel anymore, especially with the price of petrol and accommodation,” she said.

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To revive the event, Scott said she managed to convince the Natal Terrier Club committee and others. “We need this level of competition to encourage exhibitors and grow our sport and love for purebred dogs. We will also be awarding the top Child and Junior Handlers in the province, again according to points gathered throughout the year,” she said.

The event will be taking place on November 25, from 10:00 at the Summerveld Country Lodge. For more information, Maria Scott can be contacted on 083 564 8335.

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