April 19th, 2005

The annual Nuts for Mutts dog show is sponsored by New Leash On Life, a non-profit organization established in 1997 to reduce the number of animals abandoned and euthanized in Los Angeles, and to educate the public on responsible pet ownership. Check out the New Leash On Life website and you'll see what a huge impact they've had.

My husband Bill met the organizers of the Nuts for Mutts dog show in a Costco parking lot last January, and he couldn't wait to tell me about the dog show just for mutts.  It really sounded like a fun event and wow, it was better than we ever expected.

Unlike AKC dog shows which have a very serious tone and a hundred rules and regulations, the Nuts for Mutts dog show was all fun, and the only rule seriously enforced was that only mutts could compete. Lots of people brought their purebred dogs — thank goodness no one had to stay home and miss out on the fun — they just couldn't take part in the competition.  Altogether I heard there were several thousand dogs at the show.  Can you imagine?  That's a lot of fur!

There were 30 categories... best terrier mix, best shepherd mix, best smile, best talker, best ears, best eyes, perfect mix small breed, perfect mix large breed, friendliest dog, best handicapped dog, best senior dog... too many to list them all but each one showed off what the owners thought were their dogs' the best features.  This feller on the left had my vote for Most Ear-risistible Ears!

The competition started at 8am with the qualifying rounds. There were 30 dogs in each category, and category by category, all 30 dogs paraded around the ring with their owners. Then 10 of the 30 were chosen to compete for Best of Category. Since the qualifying round for Bailey's category, Perfect Mix Small Breed, wasn't until 3pm, Bill and I had the whole day to wander around the dog show and pet all of the cute dogs and check out all of the exhibits and sample all of the food. This dog show was lots more fun than an AKC dog show because no two dogs looked alike and it was a hoot to try and figure out what kind of mix each one was. All of the owners were friendly and unlike at AKC dog shows, they actually wanted you to meet and pet their dogs, and of course everyone wanted to meet and pet Bailey. To top it off, the dog show was outside, and the weather was warm and sunny, and everyone was smiling and laughing, and the day was absolutely perfect!

Before we knew it, it was 3pm and time for Bailey to compete in the qualifying round for the Perfect Mix Small Breed category. All of the dogs were little and adorable and all of the owners were friendly, and everyone had a great time socializing while the judges walked around the ring and checked out the dogs. Then the emcee, Debra Wilson of Mad TV, called out 10 names and wow, Bailey was one of them!

It was quickly time to compete in the Best of Category round and like before, the 10 dogs paraded around the ring with their owners, then each dog was brought to the center of the ring and each owner got to say a few words. I know I'm Bailey's mom but Bailey really did stand out among all of the others in the Perfect Mix Small Breed category. I'd given him a bath and trimmed his hair first thing that morning and he never looked cuter. He even did a few tricks for the crowd and you could tell he won everyone's hearts. One of the judges, Eric Roberts, fell in love with Bailey's ears and when Eric said Bailey looked like a little Einstein, the audience clapped and cheered. Then the winner was announced and it was Bailey!  Our cute little Bailey had won!  We've always known Bailey was special but it sure was fun to bring home a blue ribbon.

Here's Bailey with his blue ribbon!

Finally, about 5pm, all 30 dogs who had won the Best in Category competed for the Best in Show. We paraded around the ring one last time, came to the center one last time, then went back to our places and waited while the judges picked their favorites.

This photo is quintessential Bailey!  While the other dogs were
waiting and watching what was happening in the center of the ring,
Bailey was totally focused on getting just one last treat!

Then Kim Basinger announced and presented ribbons to the first, second and third place winners. First prize was given to the dog with the best smile, second prize to the best handicapped dog, and third prize went to the friendliest dog.  It was a great ending to a great day!

Here are a few more photos Bill took at the show, and there are lots more on the Nuts for Mutts website so be sure to check them out too!

Page 2 of 3

Previous  |  1  |  2  |  3  |  Next

Back to Photos Home Page