I met Romeo, a beautiful little Papillon, at the Stormont Dundas & Glengarry Dog Show last Saturday. Romeo and his family were visiting from Philadelphia. Romeo had won his class on Friday, and was representing his breed in the Best-of-Toy-Group.
Romeo did an excellent job, but there was some tough competition. Some of the other breeds represented in the class included Chihuahuas, Italian Greyhounds, Pekinese, Pomeranians, Toy Poodles, and Yorkshire Terriers. The eventual winner of the class was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, with a Maltese taking second spot.
It was a cool, blustery day, with little squalls of rain. Some of the small dogs were clearly feeling chilly. This little Chinese Crested was dressed for the weather.
There were a number of rings with classes ongoing, all operating at the same time. Because of the rainy weather, some of the dogs and their handlers were taking shelter under one of the open tents while they awaited their class. Here are Afghan hounds, keeping dry.
The Bloodhounds didn’t seem to be bothered by the damp weather.
The Best-of-Sporting-Group class was large. It included a number of different spaniels, including Cockers, English Springer, and Field spaniels; setters, including Irish, English, and Gordon setters; retrievers including Labrador, Golden and Flat-coated, and various other group members such as Weimaraners and Vizslas.
I was surprised at how sturdy the Labrador was. I’m used to thinking of the Grandog, Raven, as a Lab cross, but she is much lighter in build.
One breed that was new to me was the Sussex Spaniel. A ten-year-old Sussex Spaniel, nicknamed Stump, was the surprise winner of the Best-in-Show award at the 2009 Westminster Kennel Club Show in 2009. The Sussex at Saturday’s show seemed very laid-back and good-natured, and planted a kiss on the judge’s chin when he leaned over for a closer look.
The eventual winner of the class was the Irish Setter. It was unfortunate that the weather wasn’t better, as the venue, a park near the St. Lawrence, was a beautiful spot and would have been lovely on a sunny day. However, it was fun to see such a variety of dogs.
Willow House Chronicles 
It’s interesting to see all the variety in breeds at these shows. There’s way more than one typically thinks.
I believe there are two types of Labrador Retriever, a field type and a show type, that differ in build and personality. I gather the show types are considerably heavier and easygoing while the the field types are lighter and more high-energy. We never met Raven’s mother, so we don’t know which she was.
Ah. You’re right. Wikipedia says this: While individual dogs may vary, in general show-bred Labradors are heavier built, slightly shorter-bodied, and have a thicker coat and tail. Field Labradors are generally longer legged, lighter, and more lithe in build.