SARA dog show july 2015

July 10, 2015 • 1 Comment

The 20th Anniversary SARA Fun Dog Show, Redcar, Cleveland.

We recently spent the day being cooked at the Saltburn Animal Rescue Association annual dog show. I already knew about SARA and the good work they do but I had never been to one of their shows. I don't have much interest in the kennel club, best breed crufts shows. Breeding for features that are detrimental to the dogs life seems a covert form of cruelty to me. However, I have to say I enjoyed all five hours of the day, despite the baking heat. Entry was free and car parking easy and ample, and not surprisingly dogs were welcome. Bailey thought he'd gone to doggy heaven with so many fellow canines about in all shapes and sizes. It took him a while to calm down.

The centre of attention was the arena where the judging took place. There were 22 categories ranging from the standard best pedigree through to best legs (dog & owner), best trick, dog most like its owner and best dressed dog. Many of the prizes went to the younger owners which was nice to see and no one took any of it too seriously. No dogs were poisoned for winning a rosette at this show!

There was also a large marquee where the real fundraising was taking place. SARA is a charity and must cost a small fortune to run, so as fun as the arena activities were, this is where the bread and butter lived! There were a number of stalls, we bought tickets for several raffles, browsed through bric-a-brac and second hand dog books. One stall in particular impressed us and Bailey, Ve's Doggie Deli selling cup cakes, pizza, muffins and scones. They were also giving away carob truffles which looked good enough to eat myself, so I did and and I can honestly say they were wasted on dogs. Bailey finished the other half off in one gulp. Bails ate his pizza slice and loved it. I may be ordering him a dodgy birthday cake in December.

In the arena Bailey entered the 'handsomest dog' category but didn't win anything. Then we tried 'the dog the judge would most like to take home' but again didn't win anything. Finally we entered the very popular 'most appealing' category and came third winning a rosette (in Hull City colours) together with a ball and a packet of doggy treats. Well done Bails!

Ve's Doggie Deli

Bailey enjoying his pizza slice from Ve's Doggie Deli

Liz went around being sociable and handing out Moondog Pet Photography cards to try to drum up some business. People seemed very interested but we'll see if it transfers into commissions. Interestingly there was another photographer there. He didn't have a dog and seemed not to be backwards in pushing himself forward, which is perhaps something I need to become more adept at doing. As it turned out he was from the Evening Gazette. I tended to adopt a photo journalistic approach, shooting candid shots without becoming involved with my subject. I'll discuss pet photography styles in a future blog.

See more images of the day at Moondog Pet Photography web site.

The well deserved 'Best in Show' winner!

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Comments

Ryley Aufderhar(non-registered)

I am glad to read this article.

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