UKC Dog Show in Kalamazoo, Michigan

I am a volunteer with Big Brothers, Big Sisters. This weekend I was looking for something unique and different to take my little brother to. We had already been to the zoo, car shows, the movies, and worn out a bowling alley over the winter months. I had called him on Saturday morning, and he did not call me back until late Saturday afternoon. We ended up planning to do something on Sunday.

I furiously was looking for something unique and original to take him to that we had not done before. I came across on a Michigan festivals website that the United Kennel Club (UKC) dog show was still going on at the fairgrounds in Kalamazoo, and Sunday was the final day. This was perfect! So I called my little brother back and made the arrangements to pick him up early Sunday morning.

We arrived at the dog show, not knowing what to expect. We paid for parking, and were handed a bag of stuff from the parking attendent. When we parked, I looked through the bag, and discovered a list of rules for visitors attending the dog show. So I read each one to my little brother, and made sure he understood.

The rules were pretty basic, but they made sense. Some of the rules were 'Ask the owner for permission before petting a dog, and they do not have to give you permission, so please understand that', 'Do not try to pet a dog that is eating, sleeping or growling', and a whole bunch more of other common sense rules.

Neither my little brother or I own a dog, so we approached this as a chance to learn about different breeds of dogs. We approached owners of dogs, and asked them questions about the breeds, backgrounds, etc.

A majority of the owners were quite willing to tell us all about them, especially when we told them we were with Big Brothers, Big Sisters. A few let my little brother pet the dogs, and even play with them. Here is a photo of Lorenzo with a Poodle. ---->

Usually the ones that did not were the ones who were busily prepping their dog for a viewing or competition, so we left them alone.

I do not know if you have ever been to a dog show, but I thought it was a lot of fun. We learned a lot about different breeds, and especially the ones we were most interested in. We also got to watch some dogs go through judging, and win some ribbons. It was facinating to watch the judging competitions.

One of the most fun parts of the event was the 'Ultimate Air Dogs' competition, where dogs competed in a running jump off a dock into water. That was really exciting, especially when you heard everyone cheering for the dogs. We saw one dog jump 25 feet! Amazing! I shot a lot of video at this event, and will probably share them once I edit them down. I got some great shots of the flying dogs off the docks. What fun!

So I definitely recommend going out into your community and taking in new events whenever possible. You never know where you might learn new things, and have a wonderful time!