Bemidji Dog Show Sees Hundreds of Competitors for the Weekend

Man’s best friend took to the stage this weekend at the annual Paul Bunyan Dog Training Association United Kennel Club show in Bemidji. Roughly 800 competitors from across the nation showed off their skills over the three-day event and competed for the top prize.

It’s not your normal beauty pageant. In fact, it’s not a beauty pageant at all. The annual dog show at the Beltrami County Fairgrounds highlights the dog’s health and fitness.

“Each breed has a very difficult or complex written standard that tells you everything that you need to be looking for in that breed,” explained UKC Senior Judge Alan Krenek.

“You’re looking at overall health and longevity,” said dog handler Cartrell Cooper. “Those are the types of things that reputable breeders are looking at in their breeding standards. So what they do is they go to dog shows to actually accent what they have and to see what’s out there as far as competition.”

The Paul Bunyan Dog Training Association Dog Show does not stop at adults showing their dogs, as kids get the chance as well.

“It just helps them with that self-confidence and how to take care of a dog,” said Ethan Larson, an organizer for the show.

Popularity has remained high for events like these, and organizers hope to see this interest continue for the future.

At a UKC Dog Show, over 400 breeds can be shown. There were six shows in total this weekend at the Beltrami County Fairgrounds.