Rose City Classic

Stump Town loves its dogs!

Today we went to the Rose City Classic Dog Shows held at the Expo Center in north Portland. The show is so popular, the parking lot was filled to capacity! We were redirected to Portland Meadows race track for overflow parking and free shuttle bus service to and from the Expo Center. Once we wended through the lines for tickets and at last made it into the show, we split up. I stopped in "Sheltie World" while my mother went to the "Russell Roundup."

My mother sat next to a woman who used to show Jacks and they chatted. They selected their favorite dogs from each class, but apparently the judge didn't agree with their picks. Brandy was descended from Eddie Chapman's English lines, so my mother prefers the leggy Jacks (Parson Russells in AKC-speak). Anyway, she had an enjoyable and educational time at Ring 3.

All the Shelties were so much smaller and more petite than Indy. He certainly is a big galoot compared to them! I looked for some similarity to Indy in the show dogs, but saw none. I took a peek at a program and did see some entries bred at kennels from Indy's pedigree, but no relation. I did, however, enjoy observing breed mannerisms that I recognized from both Indy and Lacey.

When the Jack Russells finished, my mother located me and we moved on to the vendor area. Found all kinds of fun stuff. At the Sock Shop I got Sheltie socks and couldn't resist the Dressage socks! Another vendor offered lifelike stuffed dogs (Jacks, westies, etc.) for a reasonable price. My mother bought one and, since no bag was offered, I placed the dog under my arm. Everyone did a doubletake, thinking it was real at first glance. I must say, it was well mannered. Our favorite vendor items were the fleece "poop pile" squeaker toys offered in several sizes. Also available were fleece "Poopsie Cola" cans, "Poop Tart" boxes, etc. You get the gist.

When finished with the vendors we went to the agility ring where the large dogs were competing. Border collies were predominant but everyone enjoyed the standard poodles, and the Afghan hound was a big hit. Having taken Indy through the agility foundation course, I have a new respect for the level of competition we saw. The class came down to a jump-off to determine the winner. Very exciting!

Then it was home to Indy where we introduced him to the lifelike stuffed dog. Indy had us in stitches. He was thoroughly confused by the life-size inanimate puppy. He sniffed, jumped, sniffed, assumed the play position, sniffed and then pounced to instigate play...but the other dog wouldn't respond!! What a nut!

The dog shows continue through Monday. Animal Planet was filming the competition and will air the Rose City Classic in the future. Watch the Animal Planet TV schedule for Dog City USA to strut its stuff.