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Community Corner

St. Michael-Albertville FYCC Goes to the Dogs

After a successful debut in November, the Family Youth Community Connections program is bringing back the St. Michael-Albertville area dog show next Saturday in Hanover. It's not too late to sign up your pooch.

Amy Sandmann and Jenny Delorme, local residents who work with canines in both their work and home lives, hosted their first dog show in partnership with (Family Youth Community Connections) program two months ago.

A successful first show has led to calls for more opportunities for local kids and teens to show off those precious pooches, so another show has been set for Saturday, Jan. 14 at Hanover’s City Hall. The meet and greet begins at 9 a.m. and the show starts at 10 a.m.

About 150 spectators came to the in November to see 35 dogs-and their handlers-participate in one or more of the possible categories: biggest dog, smallest dog, best behaved, friendliest, waggiest tail, best kisser, best groomed and best trick.

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This time around, Delorme said they will also add a ‘best handler’ award. Cost is $6 per category entered, with all proceeds going back into FYCC. The winners of each class then compete for the title of grand champion. While all participants receive an award, the overall winner also receives a trophy, a certificate for a dog training session with Sandmann–who owns a positive reinforcement dog training business, and a dog massage session from Delorme.

No special advanced preparation is required to enter the dog show, but Sandmann and Delorme do suggest that kids should be able to walk their dog with a leash in order to participate. Any type of prong collars on the animals are discouraged. Participants can register the day of by arriving at 9 a.m. or online through FYCC.

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“Competition is not the focus of it,” said Delorme, who owns her own animal massage and pet-sitting business. “We just wanted kids to be able to have fun and have the experience.”

Aubrey Ericksen, 11, whose dog, Sadie the cockapoo won Best in Show at the last show, heard about the event during morning announcements at her middle school. She entered her dog into three categories and won “best groomed,” allowing her to advance into the finals. Now, Audrey is coming back as a guest judge, alongside Sandmann and Delorme.

 “I really enjoyed it, because I got to see all these different breeds of dogs and I got to see what a dog show is actually like,” Ericksen said. “I thought everyone could have been a winner.”

This well-spoken sixth-grader has a soft spot in her heart for dogs, and she said someday she’d like to work at a dog shelter and try to find homes for as many dogs as possible to prevent them from being euthanized. For now, she’s just excited to be one of the judges for the upcoming show.

For animal lovers like Sandmann and Delorme, the biggest joy of the dog show is providing an opportunity for families to further integrate their pets into their hobbies and lifestyles, which they say is a win-win for both humans and canines.

“It’s not only helping the kids but the pets too,” Delorme said. “Then [the dog] isn’t something that you look at, pet twice a day or maybe take for a walk: they’re an integrated part of the family. If we could pass that feeling along and help that grow, I’d be great with that.”

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