Wenatchee Kennel Club Hosts Events Over Next Two Weekends

Dog sports enthusiasts can get their fill of all sorts of dog activities hosted by the Wenatchee Kennel Club (WKC) over the next two weekends. From agility, dog shows, obedience trials, scent work, therapy dog testing, weight pulling, or lure coursing, area residents can see it all, and find out how to get involved with their own dogs.

October 12, 13, & 14 is the WKC’s American Kennel Club Agility Trials at Confluence Park in Old’s Station in north Wenatchee.  Several hundred dogs will compete each day as they run through a series of obstacle courses, racing against the clock to earn qualifying scores towards a variety of agility titles, based on the difficulty of the courses.  The agility trials are free to spectators, although a State Parks Discovery Pass for parking access to Confluence Park is necessary. (or park above the park and walk down.) Judging will begin at 8:30 AM Friday and 8:00 Saturday and Sunday. Bring a comfortable chair and spend the day watching the teamwork of accomplished dogs and their handlers.

The following weekend, October 19, 20 & 21, is the club’s annual Dog Show, Obedience Trial and Rally Trial at the Chelan County Expo Center in Cashmere (fairgrounds).  The weekend also includes the WKC’s American Kennel Club Scent Work Trial Saturday and Sunday.  Entries for these events are closed, but spectators and area residents may partake in a variety of health screening clinics for dogs,  AKC Canine Good Citizen testing (Friday afternoon), AKC Trick Dog testing (Friday afternoon), and Therapy Dog International therapy dog certifications (Friday afternoon).

The Central Washington Weight Pullers will demonstrate their sport Saturday morning and allow people and their dogs to “try it out.”  A certified weight pull will be Saturday afternoon and again Sunday morning. This is a great opportunity to watch working dog breeds doing their “jobs” of pulling some incredible weights.

Dogs can also enter an AKC FastCAT (Fast Coursing Ability Test) trial Saturday and Sunday.  These are timed events with dogs racing against the clock individually in a straight 100-yard dash, chasing a lure powered by an electric motor. Dogs must be AKC registered breeds or AKC registered All-American Dogs to enter.

Special events during the show include a “Fun Match” Friday evening for handlers and their inexperienced dogs to practice showing before the actual event; a Pee Wee Handling Event for children ages 5-9 at noon Saturday and Sunday; and a 4-6 Month Beginner Puppy competition at 11:00 Saturday. These activities are designed to give new exhibitors, young exhibitors and young dogs a chance to practice in a real dog show environment and hone their skills before competition.

And if that’s not enough, more than 800 dogs will compete in the more familiar dog show, obedience and rally trials. The Obedience and Rally Trials are Friday, Saturday and Sunday with competition starting at 9:00AM. The conformation dog show judging is Saturday and Sunday with judging beginning at 9:00AM each day. The Group judging competitions will begin at about 2:00PM Saturday and 1:00PM Sunday, leading to Best in Show each day. More than 120 breeds of dogs will be represented at the show each day.

For a complete judging schedule for the dog show and other activities, CLICK this link to the club’s website: www.wenatcheekennelclub.com/events