Dogs showcase skills at Grant County Fairgrounds

MOSES LAKE - Hundreds of dogs from across the Northwest spent the weekend running through tunnels and chutes, over jumps and around other various obstacles during the Ephrata-Moses Lake Kennel Club's agility trials.

Club secretary Nicole Bailey said the annual three-day event draws dogs and their owners from Washington, Idaho, Oregon and even Montana to the Grant County Fairgrounds. Trials started this year on Friday and continued through Sunday.

"We're having 1,500 runs a day," she said on Saturday. "So this is bringing in a lot of people."

Some dogs run as many as three times each day, so the number of runs doesn't necessarily equal the number of dogs that participate, Bailey said. She said about 650 dogs are participating in this year's trials.

The agility trials feature two different courses, a Standard Agility course and a Jumps With Weaves course. The standard course includes jumps, tunnels and chutes, a pause table, weave poles and contact obstacles including an A-frame, seesaw and dog walk.

The object is to complete the course as fast as the dog can without errors.

The Jumps With Weaves course consists of about 15 jumps and a set of weave poles.

Bailey said dogs aren't competing against each other in the trials, but against themselves.

"They can earn titles during this, and actually many of them will," she said. "But they are mainly working to improve their time and move on to the next level."

Dogs start out at the novice level, but can advance to the open and excellent competition levels over time.

She said the non-competitiveness of the agility trials makes it a fun and relaxing event for dogs and their owners.

"People come here to have a good time with their dogs and even with each other," Bailey commented.

The Moses Lake event is just one of many American Kennel Club performance events held in the region throughout the year. Kennel clubs in Wenatchee, Yakima and Spokane also hold events, she said.

"A lot of people here this weekend go to those shows as well," Bailey said. "So you run into a lot of familiar faces when you go to shows in our area."

Spokane resident Jeanne Fuller said she has been coming to the Moses Lake agility trials for about four years. She also attends shows in Spokane, Wenatchee, Yakima and Moscow, Idaho each year.

She brought two of her dogs, papillons Sli and Kit Kat, to the Moses Lake event this year.

Fuller has been showing dogs for about nine years.

"I love working with my dogs," she said. "I like agility because it gives you a chance to really bond with your dog and it boosts their confidence."

Bailey said training for agility events is one of the best ways owners can bond with their dogs. They need to spend a lot of time training their dogs because each agility course is different and dogs and owners need to know how to work well with each other, she said.

Bailey said she has been showing dogs since she was about 10.

She got involved with the Ephrata-Moses Lake club when she moved to the area five years ago. The club currently has about 50 members.

In addition to the agility trials, the Ephrata-Moses Lake club hosts other performance events during the year. In April, they will hold their all-breed conformation show and obedience rally.

"When you watch dog shows on television, where the dogs are judged on their appearance, those are conformation events," Bailey said. "It's what most people think of when you say dog shows."

The club will also hold Earthdog trials in the fall. Earthdog trials are primarily for terriers to showcase their ability to hunt underground, she said.

For more information about the Ephrata-Moses Lake Kennel Club or their events, visit www.emlkc.com.