Pooches strut their stuff at Whitehorse dog show

Hair spray spritzing, flat irons smoothing tresses and dryers blowing loudly. There were a lot of beauty products flying around the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre in Whitehorse this weekend.

No, it wasn't a beauty pageant, it was the Yukon Kennel Club's 47th annual dog show.

The show featured conformation events for 52 breeds, plus obedience and rally trials.

Exhibitors travelled from Alaska, B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan to compete this year. 

"I think what attracts people is the North. We have these exhibitors from down south now who say this show is on their bucket list because it's an epic journey if they're driving," said Yukon Kennel Club president Leslie Joanisse.

"They get to go see the country and they get here and they do what they love. It's just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these people."

'From farm dog to show dog'

The conformation events mean dogs are judged against breed standards and are competing for Best in Show ribbons.

That's why Sandy Haidy was brushing chalk onto the white fur of her rough collie Annie's paws.

She explained the chalk helps accentuate the bone.

"You want to show nice substance in the bone so they don't look slight. You want to accentuate their good features. She has really good bones," Haidy said.

Besides chalking Annie's whites, Haidy also fluffed up the ruff around her shoulders. 

Haidy said features judges look for in herding dogs include shoulders being in the right spot and not being too stiff so they can do what they're supposed to do — move sheep.

"From farm dog to show dog, it probably takes me four hours. Brush out, bath out, blow out. And when you've got two of them, that's a big day," said Haidy, referring to Annie and her Australian Shepherd, Gracie.

Debra Lindsay from Palmer, Alaska said it takes her three hours to get her three-year-old golden retriever, Cooper, ready.

"Before the shows began, he had to be bathed and trimmed," she said.

She also wet down and blow dried his fur to fluff it up. 

Come for the dogs, stay for the people

Cec Ringstrom, from High River, Alberta, is one of eight judges assessing pooches this weekend. 

She said she's travelled the world judging dogs — next week she's off to Colombia.

"I started in the dog game 55 years ago. I became a handler and for 25 years I've been a judge," she said.

Ringstrom said she keeps coming back to dog shows for the people.

"I have a tremendous time doing this. It's really a lot of fun for me." 

Amanda Williams agrees with Ringstrom.

Williams, from Vernon, B.C., got started at dog shows as a junior handler because her parents were showing dogs.

"I was kind of the next generation," she said.

Now she travels across Canada showing dogs.

She won Best in Show on Friday with her standard poodle, Magnum.

"He's a suck. He's my pet dog. He sleeps on my bed a lot of the time. He's just a great dog, I just love him so much."