775 DOGS HAVE DAY AT ALL-BREED SHOW; SECOND SHOW TODAY

The upper balcony at the A.C. Brase Arena Building resembled a beauty shop for dogs Saturday as owners combed, clipped and fussed over their pets.

Standing on waist-high tables, the dogs calmly took the grooming in stride.

Penny Duffee gently guided the electric razor over KO's neck, giving her standard schnauzer's wiry coat a pre-show trim. She hoped her dog would be true to his "knockout" nickname when it came time to take him into the ring.

Down below, on the Arena floor, various breeds of dogs were being shown in white fenced-off areas, their owners parading them around on leashes under the watchful eye of the judges.

The occasion was the Southeast Missouri Kennel Club's 72nd all-breed dog show. In all, 775 dogs from dozens of states were entered in the show.

Saturday's all-day show will be followed by another dog show at the Arena Building today.

"They have to be pets and companions, first and show dogs, second," Duffee said.

Like most show-dog owners, the Bloomington, Ill., woman spends most of her weekends at dog shows.

Duffee, who has been showing dogs since 1971, is president of the Standard Schnauzer Club of America.

While those dog owners who arrived early, had the luxury of grooming their animals in the air-conditioned Arena Building, others had to perform the task outside under shade trees and motor home canopies.

Under a shade tree, Liz Hansen of Kampsville, Ill., trimmed and combed her schnauzer, "Sketchbook, Stop the Press," from head to tail.

"It is just like a beauty contest. All the flurry goes on back stage," said Hansen, who entered five dogs in the show.

Dog owners like Hansen travel hundreds of miles to shows each weekend.

Hansen travels with her dogs in a 1990 van. She has already put 162,000 miles on it. "I live by cruise control," she remarked.

Hansen's friend, Kathy Koehler of Normal, Ill., also shows schnauzers.

"It's a fun hobby," Koehler said. "We meet a lot of nice people."

Brenda Proffitt of Jacksonville, Ill., brought two Doberman pinschers and eight miniature pinschers to the show.

She sat outside her motor home Saturday afternoon, while her dogs cooled their heels inside.

Show Chairman Bill Busch said it is common to sponsor two dog shows, back to back.

The same breeds and even the same dogs compete in the two shows, but there are different judges.

The local kennel club has been sponsoring dog shows and obedience trials since 1953.

Typically, the show attracts dogs and owners from 35 states, and even some foreign countries.

Busch said 103 breeds were entered in this year's show. The entries included 279 dogs from Missouri, 127 from Tennessee and 122 from Illinois. Two entries came from as far away as Washington state.

In terms of numbers, German shepherds led the way with 50 entered in the show.

Dog shows continue to grow in popularity, Busch said. "Everybody has a love for animals and especially for dogs."

On any given weekend, there are generally a number of dog shows around the country to choose from.

Nationwide, there are about 1,200 all-breed dog shows a year and 1,800 specialty shows. In addition, there are thousands of field trials.

The dogs are judged in comparison to what the ideal dog should look like of a particular breed.

Busch said a lot of work goes into preparing a pure-bred dog for a show. "You just don't bathe them the night before and bring them to the show."