Dogs Have Their Day at Competition

VENTURA —  Mark Whitley, by any measure, is a big man. At 6 feet 5, he is more than 65 inches taller than his beloved Cody, a miniature pinscher.

When the dog decides to leap, it often nips Whitley’s calf.

On ambitious days, a kneecap is ripe for taking.

But all that matters not, he says, when you fall into canine love.

Whitley smiled proudly Saturday as he talked of the almost foot-tall puppy who jogged a lap with him around Ring No. 3 on the second of three days of competition in the Summerfest All Breed Dog Show and Obedience Trials at Seaside Wilderness Park. Competition continues today from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“I love their attitude. They are high-energy and outgoing and there’s never a dull moment,” he said. “They’re a lot of fun.”

It was, by most accounts, a cat’s worst nightmare: Nearly 2,400 dogs were entered in Saturday’s show, organizers said.

Yelps and barks came from every direction, as hundreds of dogs were washed, brushed, powdered, walked and primed for competition. Several RVs parked on the Ventura County Fairgrounds hoisted makeshift tents for dog salons.

As the lunchtime sun baked asphalt hot to the touch, dozens of dogs were led by leash on relaxing walks to potty breaks. Some dogs, though, never made it.

A huddled mass of dog owners erupted in laughter when a loudspeaker boomed: “A janitor with a wet mop to Ring No. 7, please.”

But pooches of every kind ruled the park, some the size of a shoe and others half the size of a man.

Well-dressed owners mirrored Whitley’s lap with Cody in many of the 20 competition rings.

Ellen Brock of Bloomington, Calif., is a dog-show lifer.

The show, sponsored by the Ventura County Dog Fanciers Assn., is but one more notch in her 30 years of competition.

Her husky 200-pound Saint Bernard puppy, Teddy Bear, marks the 10th generation of the large dogs she has shown.

“I love Saint Bernards, and I love the competition,” she said. “It gives me a feeling of accomplishment, and working with dogs has helped my confidence.”

Sitting cross-legged on the ground at a nearby competition ring, Barbara Mieske, 70, of Camarillo is one dog-show fan who appreciates the work of owners like Brock.

Mieske said she attends three to four dog shows a year. This time, though, she had company: her 4-year-old granddaughter, Lauren, of Santa Clarita, who had never before been to a dog show.

“I just think it’s interesting to see the different dogs perform,” the grandmother said, her granddaughter too shy to speak. “They are all such beautiful dogs.”

Even the crew, those called to clean up after the canine contestants, said they did not mind.

Kyle Bilz, 17, of Oxnard was on call in one of the main arenas.

He said picking up after pooches is not so bad.

“All we do is lay sawdust down and mop it up; it takes about five minutes,” he said. “It’s a lot of work, but a little hard work never killed anybody.”