Just yesterday, my dog Drama and I were lounging around watching "What Not to Wear" on TLC. Drama propped himself under my neck, allowing me to use him as a pillow, providing maximum comfort and tons of sloppy doggy kisses. I couldn’t help thinking how special my little guy is. His unique looks attract a lot of attention; his face is pure pitbull, his body looks pure Corgi. But, until now he would never, ever get a second glance in the prestigious dog showing community because he's a mutt.
Photo Credit: Dan Plimpton
But finally, after 125 years of its existence, the American Kennel Club is letting mutts, or "All Americans," compete in AKC shows in their own category. The “All American” dogs won't be judged on breed standards, but instead on agility, rally and obedience.
As a result of the AKC ruling in April, the Mattaponi Kennel Club in Northern Virginia held an American Kennel Club sponsored dog show this past weekend that included mutts. For this event, only two of the 40 entries were for mixed breeds, but hey, give them a break; it was their first attempt at this open event.
You may know the AKC from their various high-profile shows, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, The National Dog Show, and the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship. They're the official record keepers of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States, and now mixed breeds are as free as any dog to enter the prestigious dog shows.
AKC spokesperson Gina DiNardo says these mixed-breed events are for both the owner and dog, “Purebreds and mixed-breeds had the chance to show off their skills and highlight that it’s the time you spend training and bonding with your dog that really matters the most."
As much fun as it might be to show Drama, we won't be entering any soon. His only real skill to speak of is his willingness to do just about anything for treats. But, I bet you there’s a lot of mixed breed dogs and owners that will offer some serious competition to historic bloodlines. My parent’s pit bull mix Shadow would take the gold in agility: I once saw her scale a 5-foot-tall fence.
If you and your four-legged friend want to participate in an AKC Rally, Agility and Obedience event, over 2,000 clubs across the nation are holding events in 2010.
May the best dog win.
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