Poodles will Parade & Compete At The Wicomico Youth & Civic Center

(Salisbury, MD) The Poodle Club of America returns to Salisbury April 17-24, 2009 for the 77th annual National Specialty. The specialty begins in Elkton, MD with tracking, hunting retriever, work, and agility tests. The excitement continues here in Salisbury on Monday, April 20, when more than 1,000 poodles will strut their stuff at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center.

The National Specialty is described as ‘the Super Bowl’ of poodle competitions. On the 20th, poodles from across the nation and world will take part in agility trials. The Agility trial allows handler and dog to run full speed, while having to perform accurately and safely on A-Frames, Dog Walks, See-Saws and a wide variety of jumps and tunnels. On Tuesday, April 21 the schedule includes obedience trials and a parade of companion & performance titleholders. Obedience Trials test a dog's ability to perform a prescribed set of exercises on which it is scored. There are 3 levels in which a poodle can be rated – novice, open, and utility. Each level is increasingly more difficult to achieve. Wednesday through Friday will feature the best in show competitions and judging. Poodle mania ends on Friday, April 24 when the Best in Show ceremony at approximately 5 PM draws the National Specialty to a close.

The poodle show hours are 8 AM to 6 PM from April 21-24, 2009 at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center. The poodle show is free and open to the public, but no outside dogs are allowed at the event. Vendors will be on hand at the event selling poodle and dog care equipment and souvenirs. Wicomico County Tourism will also be on hand to assist anyone interested in gaining information about the region and area Convention & Visitors Association Businesses.

For more information about the National Specialty, please visit www.poodleclubofamerica.org/pcanational.htm