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One dog competing for best dressed in his Bruno Mars costume.
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Three owners posing with their winning dogs.
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The top three winners in the Best Rescue Story category.
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EMHS biology teacher, Penelope Antkowiak’s husband shares their dog’s rescue story.
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The Top 3 overall for the Fastest Dog category.
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One contestant showing off his beautiful basset hound.
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One student showing off her dog’s best trick.
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Joanna Hulsey posing with her dog, Winnie.
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Dru Owens posing with her dog Bruno.
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The overall dog show winner, Truman, poses with his prize.
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Last weekend, Edmond Memorial High School hosted one of the first Swine Week events of the spring semester, a dog show. Students could sign up to exhibit their dog’s fun and interesting qualities for $20 to enter a dog plus an additional $10 per category, all of which went to the Swine Week recipient, The Comeback Kids Society. Whether one brought a dog to present or went to simply watch, the dog show was an amazing idea to raise money.
The dogs competed in a variety of clever categories, including Waggiest Tail, Prettiest Pooch, Best Rescue Story, Best Trick, Fanciest Dressed and Fastest Dog. All of the categories allowed the owners to show off their bond with their pets and how well-behaved their dogs were. My personal favorite was the Fanciest Dressed category, with dogs of all different breeds dressed up adorably in their costumes, such as little tutus, dresses or jerseys.
The judges panel was composed of students who decided the Top 3 for each category and then chose between those dogs for the Top 3 overall. There were prizes for the dogs who won, such as toys and treats for them to enjoy.
The event was hosted in Memorial’s lower commons, where they set up a stage for all of the animals in front of a panel of judges and seats for the audience. The lower commons was an excellent idea, as its connection to the gym foyer provided plenty of space for owners to make their dogs ready to perform, and there was plenty of room for Swine Week Royalty groups to sell treats for both humans and dogs as the show continued.
One critique of the event would be that it was hosted with only a megaphone, which made it hard to hear what was going on most of the time and could have possibly distracted or even frightened the dogs. There were many dogs signed up and multiple owners showed up for each dog, such as a parent and a student or students with friends. With everyone having their own conversations while the show was happening, it was difficult to understand what was happening.
The Swine Week dog show was a super fun, unique and clever idea to raise money for an amazing cause. It is impossible to resist such an adorable show, and it is a fun way to spend one’s afternoon and give back to the community. It is easy to tell that it was a hit and should most definitely be brought back every year.
Contact Paisley Edgin at [email protected]
