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OWEGO, N.Y. -- Takoda splashed around in the blue plastic
kiddie pool, as eager as any 2½-year-old would be to cool off
and escape the heat at Hickories Park in Owego Sunday morning.
Who can blame him? All that fur must be hot.
Takoda, a Shiloh shepherd, was one of 20 competitors in the
Susquehanna Kennel Club of Sayre's three dog shows this
weekend. Show chairperson Gloria Ciavardini said about 25 dogs
competed in Saturday's show, but said heat had whittled the
field down to 20 for Sunday's two shows. Taking Best in Show
honors in Saturday's contest, Takoda looked to cool off after
losing his group competition Sunday morning. Owner Cindy
Schleifer of Morristown, N.J., and Takoda made the trip for
Saturday's International Shiloh Shepherd Registry competition,
which brought owners of the rare breed from as far as Rhode
Island and Ohio to compete.
Schleifer said she began training Takoda when he was 3 months
old, and spent about five to 10 minutes training him every
other day before entering him in shows.
"You can go to classes but it's really just working with
them," she said. "There's all sorts of tricks; you don't learn
them all at once. Once you're in the ring, you've got about
two minutes to show your stuff."
The brief time in competition outweighs the distance many
owners and handlers travel for a show, according to Ciavardini.
"I have driven to Niagara Falls four straight days to show,"
Ciavardini, a Barton, N.Y., resident, said. "Dog show people
will do that, drive all night, show for two hours, and get
back in the car."
The drive didn't stop Rhode Island residents Shelia Masse and
Joyce Galonski and their Shiloh shepherds Hope and Joy from
competing. The show was the first for the dogs, both of the
same litter, who turned 6 months old Sunday. By the end of
Sunday's first show, Hope had racked up several group awards,
while Joy looked to overcome problems with pacing, which Masse
said involves where a dog's legs meet while walking.
Masse said the breed is a new, tightly controlled one that
looks to emulate the 1950s vision of a German shepherd. About
30 years old, the breed is still considered rare, and
competition often means long travel times for owners.
Still, the chance to compete brought Mike Kerr and his two
Shilohs, Storm, 4, and Shiloh, 2½, from outside Akron, Ohio.
Kerr said the show was a confirmation format, which judges a
dog primarily by structure and appearance, one of many
different types of competition.
"A confirmation show requires less talent," Kerr said. "It's
basically a beauty show with some talent."
While the Shiloh shepherd breed made a strong showing, Best in
Show of Sunday's first competition went to a Keeshond breed
owned by Vicky Douglas and Barbara Kies.
Far from disappointed, the other dogs waited in the shade for
the afternoon show to begin, and their next chance to get in
the ring.
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