AMANA, Iowa — Some things are just tradition. The Amana RV Park and Event Center has been home to the Amana Colonies Cluster Dog Show every Labor Day weekend for the last 14 years.
The show is meant to unite the community, bringing everyone together.
"What I enjoy the most, honestly, at any of these things is the sense of comradery," Laura King, show chairman at the tri-city kennel club said. "Dog people are a very close knit group, and can be quite supportive of each another."
Recognized as an American Kennel Club event, there were a handful of competitions for dogs to participate in, such as conformation, rally, fast catch and obedience. Most challenges group the dogs by their breed, which allowed kids like Evan Catterson to step into the ring as a junior shower and compete against adults.
"It takes a lot of practice," Catterson said. "A lot of hours from six to 10. [It's all about] taking care of the dogs [and training them.]"
Chuck Sheehan and his Chow Chow, Lady, won their obedience competition over the weekend, becoming first time champions. He says he prepared his dog for the bright lights, but knew everything would go out the window once it's showtime.
"[Dogs are] like a little kid," Sheehan said. "When someone stares at them, they get nervous. When they walk around here, it's not so bad. But once you go in that ring and you go on that table, the judges stare at them and they know they're coming after them and going to touch them."
With that said, you don't need to be an expert trainer or have the perfect dog to become a shower. Competitions like conformation and fast catch don't require as much training as the other two, making them suitable options for dogs to enter.
"The level of training here is more about socialization," King said. "We have 1,000 dogs on these grounds. They're all well maintained [and] controlled by leashes. They're controlled in cages. [There are] very, very, very few incidents of any kind of misbehavior while we're here."