Published: October 07, 2008 09:40 am            

Harvest Homecoming dog show brings together owners and pets for contests

With multicolored felt strips on his tail and around his head, Ancil, a German shepherd sat obediently as his “tamer,” Lilly Griffin, told the emcee what her pet “lion” was going to do for his trick.

He was going to jump through a ring of fire, made out of a hula hoop with red and orange flames attached, created out of paper.

“There’s no way he can do that,” one boy, who was waiting to take his pet on stage, said with his two friends agreeing.

Griffin, 11, then told her dog to stay and walked across stage. She held up the hoop and her dog jogged toward it and jumped through.

“Wow!” the same boys said.

That won first prize for the dog and its owner in the 2008 Harvest Homecoming Kids’ Dog Show for “Best Trick” Monday night at the New Albany Amphitheatre.

The dog show is a free annual event put on for Harvest Homecoming. It also had contests for best costume, best groomed, a face only a mother could love, most obedient and waggiest tail.

“The goal of this is to bring the community together and have something fun for the kids and families,” said Melissa Norwood, who organized the event.

For the costume portion, many owners dressed up not only their dogs, but themselves.

Georgia Brumley, 5, dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood and her dog, an Australian shepherd, as the big bad wolf disguised as grandma.

“He’s so big I thought he’d be a good big bad wolf,” his owner and Georgia’s mom, Brooklyn Brumley, of Lanesville, said.

Her dog didn’t seem to mind the apron and hat. Others weren’t as obliged.

“As long as I’m holding him, he’s OK, but once he’s down, it’s over,” Sharon Rainey, of Sellersburg, said of her shih tzu, who had a clown hat, balloons attached to his collar and little shoes.

Once the dog went to go on stage, he shook off his hat and two of his shoes.

“Our wardrobe malfunction might have singed our chances of winning,” Rainey said, smiling as she looked at her dog in her arms.

The winner of the costume portion was 5-year-old Drew Juliot with his aunt’s dog, a dachshund. Juliot dressed as a hot dog vendor and the dog dressed as a hot dog.

Juliot, a former New Albany resident, has won the event for three straight years. However, Juliot, who now lives in Germany — from which the dachshund breed hails — just happened to be in town this year, so he’s not sure if he’ll be able to compete in 2009.

Fifty-four dogs participated in this year’s events. Winners got goodie bags filled with treats for pet and owner. Those receiving first place also got trophies.

Everyone who participated received a prize to take home, too.

        

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