Go, Dog. Go!: Dog Show draws 160, raises $1K for shelters

When Victoria and Dakota Dieumegard brought their three dogs to the Perquimans Chamber of Commerce’s second annual Dog Festival last weekend, they were hoping to give their pets a little recreation.

All three dogs — Inky, a black Labrador retriever, and beagles Boomer and Snoopy — certainly got plenty of exercise during the event held at the Perquimans County Recreation Center.

But the dogs also got a little rest, courtesy of the two custom-designed dog houses the Dieumegards purchased after submitting the winning $250 bid in the event’s auction.

Boomer immediately rushed inside the Trick Dog Chalet, a climate-controlled dog house built by Old Edenton Construction Company, to roll and huddle on a comfy bed made of recycled materials. The Dieumegards also took home a second custom-designed dog house constructed by Murray’s Repair and Renovation.

A third custom-designed dog house went home with another pet owner while a fourth — constructed by Finer Lines Painting of Hertford — may go up for auction on the Perquimans Chamber’s Facebook page, Chamber Director Diane Cangemi said.

Cangemi credits Sheir Sheridan with coming up with the idea to auction off custom-made dog houses as a way to raise additional funds at the Saturday, June 29th event. The Dog Festival, which drew approximately 160 people and plenty of dogs, raised a total of $1,050 for three area nonprofits that serve animals and their owners: the SPCA of Northeastern North Carolina in Elizabeth City; Tri-County Animal Shelter in Tyner; and the Bertie County Animal Shelter in Windsor. Cangemi said event proceeds were split evenly between the three nonprofits.

The Dog Festival featured different contests dogs could compete in: Who Looks Most Like Their Pet; Dress Up Your Dog; Best Rescue Story; Tiny Dog Race (participants couldn’t weigh more than 15 pounds); Dog’s Got Talent!; Longest Ears, Longest Tail; Saddest Smile, Tallest Dog, Smallest Dog; Best Behaved on Command or Tricks by Adult; and Best Behaved on Command or Tricks by Child.

Mother and daughter Pauline and Tracy Bales carefully guided Rusty, their Pekingese Pomeranian, over to where the Tiny Dog Race was held. Despite the early morning heat, Rusty ran full stride from the arms of one loving owner to the other before accepting the best prize of all — a bowl of iced-cold bottled water.

“He’s 1.5 years old and this was his first race,” Pauline Bales said. “I think Rusty’s having a nice time here in spite of the heat.”

According to Cangemi, the Dog Festival featured 25 vendors and five food trucks. The Hertford and Winfall volunteer fire departments also provided a splash pad for kids while several local animal shelters brought adoptable dogs to the event.

Representatives of AWARE, Animal Welfare of the Albemarle Region Every Day, also were on hand to talk about the importance of getting pets spayed or neutered, and Dr. Kelley Duruman of Chowan Animal Hospital talked with attendees about how to best address a pet’s heartworms, Cangemi said.