Dogs, owners eager for Eukanuba show

Brian is going. So is Jonah. And don't forget Big and Page.

These aren't Hollywood stars ready to attend a grand premiere. They are stars of a different sort.

Brian is a Shetland sheepdog. Jonah is a Chihuahua, and Big and Page are Pyrenean shepherds.

These local dogs, with about 4,000 others, will be competing at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship dog show this weekend in Long Beach.

"Other than Westminster, Eukanuba is the biggest and most important dog show of the year," said Deb Franklin, a Le Grand Chihuahua exhibitor and the owner of Jonah.

Franklin said dogs must be invited to participate at the Long Beach event, and only the top 25 dogs in each breed, figured by points accrued throughout the year, are invited.

There will be more than 4,000 dogs at the show Saturday and Sunday, competing for a total of more than $225,000 in prize money.

The American Kennel Club breeder of the year will be named at the show.

"It's the only show you can go to in the United States and see the top dogs in every breed," Franklin said. Along with Jonah, she's taking Wasabi, another Chihuahua.

Franklin isn't the only local dog breeder making the trip south this week.

Courtney and Tony Roberts of Mariposa are showing a rare breed of dog, the Pyrenean shepherd. After breeding pugs for years, the couple wanted a new breed.

"We saw (the breed) on television last year," Courtney Roberts said. "We did some research and decided we really wanted one."

Two of the Robertses' dogs, Big and Page, will be shown at Long Beach.

"I'm very excited because this gives us an opportunity to meet other people with the breed from all over the United States," Roberts said.

Kathy Brown, a Merced Shetland sheepdog breeder for 27 years, is taking her dog, Brian, this year. The 5-year-old sheepdog was invited last year, but Brown didn't make it.

"I'm a very small breeder," Brown said. "For Brian to be in the top 10 in Shetland sheepdogs for the last three years is very exciting."

Xania Moreno of Mariposa is taking her Icelandic sheepdogs to Long Beach, and she's going to be competing in the world competition.

"My dog, Cira, is from Canada, so we're representing Canada with her," Moreno said. "My mom was Canadian, so it means a lot to me."

Brown said that after showing dogs for so many years, competing at one of the most prestigious shows will be a thrill for her.

"This could be a once in a lifetime thing for me," Brown said.

Reporter Carol Reiter can be reached at (209) 385-2486 or creiter@mercedsun-star.com.