NORTHAMPTON — When the bleachers in the Northampton High School gymnasium are filled with cheering fans, it’s often for a basketball game or other sporting event. On Saturday, however, sprawling blue tarps were rolled out over the wooden court, and a large circle-shaped fence was set up for an annual dog show benefiting volunteers in the public schools.
Dogs sniffed with curiosity at their canine companions, and young children and adults helped their furry friends compete in several contests. The 14th annual “March Forth with Your Dog: Not Your Typical Dog Show,” organized by the Volunteers in Northampton Schools, Inc. (VINS), kicked off with Mayor David Narkewicz leading a parade of nearly 25 dogs around the gymnasium for an adoring crowd.
“It’s our own Westminster,” said Jane Fleishman, a judge for the competition. There were nearly 25 dogs at the show that didn’t participate in the parade, and throughout the early afternoon, more than 30 dogs and their owners arrived for a festive four-legged fundraising event.
“All the dogs are well-behaved,” said Margarete Riddle, one of the organizers. Typically, there are anywhere from 60 to 80 dogs that attend the dog show, she said, although many do not compete but simply socialize and have fun.
Jackson Street School students Harper Kelly and Henry Rogovin brought their 17-year-old Labrador and pit bull mix named Joey. Their older companion doesn’t walk too much these days, and Kelly pulled a wagon with Joey resting inside. There were cardboard signs affixed to the wagon that read, “World’s Oldest Dog.”
“She’s a sweet old dog,” Harper’s parent Anna Kelly, of Holyoke, said. When she was younger and more agile, she loved to play fetch, Anna said, and now she mostly sleeps. Her longevity has surprised everyone.
The winner of the most agile competition, a 5-year-old pit bull mix named Weeble, cruised through the course with athleticism and obedience to her owner, Kristie Harris, of Easthampton. By jumping over 16-inch bars and running on a thin, wooden obstacle from instructions given by Harris’ hand signals, Weeble claimed the top spot.
“We’ve been doing agility for about two years now, and she’s close to being competition-ready but not quite,” Harris said. “We have fun being together.”
Harris said she has trained Weeble so that she can point in different ways while they are in an obstacle course, and her dog will know what to do at various obstacles without vocal instruction.
During the best fetcher competition, a mixed-breed, mostly black dog named Comet raced out and hounded a small ball thrown by Bridge Street School student Bowie Blackburn. Comet joined the family in October, Blackburn said, and Saturday marked their first time competing together. They placed second.
“I’m super excited,” Blackburn said after the fetching round of the dog show.
Founded in 1981, VINS is a nonprofit that provides volunteers to all of Northampton’s public schools. The organization says it has provided nearly 2,500 hours of volunteers’ time assisting students with reading, writing, math and science.