HADLEY – On Monday a dozen canines competed in the “First Annual Senior Center Dog Show” sponsored by The Friends of the Hadley Council on Aging and emceed by Sharon Howard for an audience of about 50.
Hadley Assistant Procurement Officer/Licensing Coordinator Jennifer James Sanders was the sole judge but relied heavily on audience interaction, using her ears as an unofficial “applause meter.”
To open the afternoon, Hadley Police Officer Jacob Marini introduced his new K-9 partner, Fitzgerald, a German shepherd who responds to commands in Czech. Although there was a show category for “responds to most commands”, Fitz, who is still in training, did not compete in the day’s events.
The 12 actual participants, vying for their choice of dog toys, competed in some expected categories like “best tail wagger,” “best costume” and “best kisser,” but also in “most interesting coat,” “friendliest,” “shyest,” “shortest legs” and even “cutest butt.”
Kevin Gutting can be reached at kgutting@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @KevinGutting.