2010 Poodle Show Will Be Nothing Short Of ‘Magic’

(Salisbury, MD) In a few short weeks, many hundreds of Poodles and Poodle owners from all over the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan will descend upon Salisbury and the result will be nothing short of "Magic."

The 78th annual Poodle Club of America National Specialty Dog show will be held in Salisbury, Maryland the week of April 26-30th at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center, 500 Glen Avenue, Salisbury, Maryland 21804. The event is all Poodles, all varieties; Toy, Miniature and Standard, all the time, for five days. The show is free of charge and open to the public. Poodle Club of America is very grateful to Purina, Oster Professional Products and Wicomico County Tourism for their generous support of the show.

The Civic Center is magically transformed for the week. The interior of the arena is laid with sod to provide the best footing possible for the Poodles and their handlers. The exhibition rings are decorated with elaborate flower arrangements, which last year featured several life-sized topiaries of white standard Poodles. The Midway Room in the Civic Center becomes a dog-loving shoppers’ paradise. And the rear parking lot becomes an RV campground complete with electric hookups, barbeque grills, tents and lawn chairs.

The show actually begins off-site in Elkton, Maryland with tracking tests on Friday, April 23rd, followed by a retriever hunt test on Saturday, April 24th and working tests on Sunday, April 25th in Rhodesdale, Maryland. These events conclude with a banquet dinner in the Civic Center Sunday evening.

On Monday, April 26th, all three varieties of Poodles compete in Agility, complete with the weave poles, tunnels and jumps. New in Agilityat PCA this year will be FAST classes. The highest achievement for a dog and handler pair in Agility is Highest Score in Trial. On Tuesday, April 27th, the Poodles compete in Obedience and Rally Obedience. New in Rally this year is a pairs novice class. The Obedience classes include brace (two Poodles and one handler) and team (4 Poodles and 4 handlers). The highest achievement in Obedience is the High in Trial Award.

On Wednesday, April 28th, all the handsome male Poodles come out to strut their stuff in the Breed Conformation rings. Toy Poodles, Miniature Poodles and Standard Poodles, ranging in age from six months to several years of age, compete against their own age group, eight classes in all, vying for the coveted title of “Winners Dog.” Junior Showmanship, the opportunity for young people, ages 8 to 18 to demonstrate their handling skills, follows the dog classes. On Thursday, April 29th, all the beautiful girl Poodles step onto the turf to compete against one another, just as the boys did, but this time for the title of “Winners Bitch.” Veterans’ Sweepstakes, classes for dogs and bitches ages 7 and up, follows the bitch classes. Finally on Friday, the “Best of the Best,” the so-called “Specials” Poodles of all three varieties come out to compete for Best of Variety and ultimately, Best Poodle in show. To see a large arena filled with the best Poodles from all over the world competing against one another is truly a sight to behold, truly Magic.

But there are other aspects to the week beyond the dog show competition. On Tuesday, from 9am to 2:30pm, the PCA Foundation welcomes Dr. Ronald D. Schultz, Professor and Chair of Pathobiological Services, at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, as their speaker. Dr. Schultz’ talk is titled, “What Everyone Needs to Know About Canine Vaccines and Vaccination Programs.” This event is free of charge and open to the public.

Throughout the week, the Foundation is offering various health testing opportunities, including blood draws for an NIH study, OptiGen tests, a CERF clinic, and DNA sampling for a cancer study. At the conclusion of the Obedience competition, there will be a Parade of AKC Companion and Performance titleholders. This will be followed by AKC Canine Good Citizen testing.

Tuesday’s activities will conclude with a Cocktail Party from 5 to 7pm at The Fountains, next to the Country Inn & Suites, for the benefit of Poodle Club of America Rescue Foundation and the Humane Society of Wicomico County. This fundraiser is open to the public. Tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased in the Civic Center at the Rescue booth or at The Fountains through Monday, April 26th. A very limited number of tickets will be available at the door. This event features a Chinese Auction filled with interesting and exciting prizes, including 4 field-level tickets to a Mets/Phillies game, autographed CD’s from Stephen Sondheim, a custom-made dog bed, and baskets filled with things from Australia, Japan, Texas, and New Mexico, to name just a few.

The Parade of AKC Breed Champions is held at the conclusion of dog conformation judging on Wednesday. The ring is filled with dogs that have completed their Champion titles, and it is a beautiful thing to see them back again, showing off for the crowd. Most never forget their ring experience and love to “go around” one more time. At the conclusion of the Parade, approximately 4pm, Poodle Club of America Rescue Foundation welcomes Animal Communicator, Anita Curtis to their annual meeting in the Da Nang Room in the Civic Center. Anita will share stories and the knowledge she has gained in her 30 plus years’ experience helping animals. Her books will be available for purchase and signing after the talk. This event is free of charge and open to the public.

For additional information about any event for the 78th Annual Poodle Club of America National Specialty Dog show visit www.Poodleclubofamerica.org and click on PCA Events; at the dropdown menu, select “National Specialty.”