At home in Seymour, Jack Morris usually doesn’t have any problems with Sport giving him a high-five, shaking his hand or sitting and staying.

On Saturday, though, the pressure was on as they competed on the big stage.

In front of a crowd gathered in the Keach Parking Lot at Walnut and Fourth streets, Morris gave Sport commands to sit and shake his hand.

Then he broke up pieces of a dog treat and placed them around Sport, including on his front paws. Sport wasn’t supposed to eat the pieces of treats until Morris gave him a command to do so.

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Sport wound up being a good sport, following all of the commands of his owner, which drew applause from the crowd.

For his first time participating in the Dog Days Dog Show, Sport looked like a pro.

To Morris, it didn’t matter if they won a first-place ribbon or not. They received a goody bag before the show, so they were already winners.

“I see many different dogs, and then I can see different ideas of how they are groomed or what they can do,” Morris said of what he liked about going to the show for the first time. “I think it’s great that the community can see the dog lovers.”

Besides competing in the best trick category, Sport, a black goldendoodle, also was entered in the longest tail portion of the show.

“We went to a place in Columbus, and they showed me (the tricks) and then I showed him,” Morris said. “He’s a smart dog. He just picks up on things quick.”

He was happy with how Sport performed.

“I love my dog,” Morris said, smiling. “He’s lovable, and he’s nice around kids. He just wants to be around you all of the time. He makes me feel better.”

Mike Stenneski and Teresa Brown of Seymour brought their Shih Tzus to Saturday’s show.

Joy wore a black and white dress to compete in the best dressed category, while Jax wore a bow tie and was entered in the most hair and most unique categories.

Joy won last year wearing a red dress, so she returned this year to defend her title.

Even though Joy didn’t repeat, she and her owners had a good time.

“Just to see the other dogs and the other people and just have a good time. They’ve got some nice dogs here,” Stenneski said.

“It doesn’t matter if they win,” Brown said. “It’s just all about being here.”

Brown said she has had dogs all of her life, and she loves having Jax around.

“They are very loyal. They are just good to have around. They make you laugh,” she said. “(Jax) makes me laugh every day. He’s always doing something crazy.”

She was glad to have an opportunity to introduce Jax to other people.

“It’s good to have a place where you can go take your dog where you’re welcome,” Brown said.

Angela Johnson and Sandra Hoard of Seymour also entered their dogs in the best dressed category. They wore matching pink dresses with a white flower in the middle of a pink bow.

The dress on Hoard’s shorkie, Macie, was much smaller than the one on Johnson’s German shepherd-Labrador mix, Gracie.

“I bought something, and then it didn’t fit, so I had to take it back and got these,” Hoard said of the dresses.

Gracie also competed in the best trick category.

“I like it because it’s just another activity in the city for people to get together and get the dogs out,” Johnson said of the show. “They are not around other dogs a whole lot.”

Hoard said she has several trophies and ribbons at home from previous shows.

“It’s just fun to see them win,” she said. “I think it’s awesome they get all of these dogs together, and you see all kinds of dogs.”

Proceeds from the 16th annual show benefit the Humane Society of Jackson County.

The participants felt good knowing they were helping a good cause.

“The Humane Society is important. We need that. It really needs a lot of help. We always donate to them and ASPCA,” Stenneski said.

“I donate money and my time anyway, so I think it’s a really good deal that we have one because there are so many unwanted animals,” Brown said. “People don’t spay and neuter, and we just have more and more. If we didn’t have an animal shelter, what would happen to them?”

Johnson said it’s good to have a no-kill shelter in the city.

“That really means something,” she said. “(Gracie) had gotten out once, and they actually picked her up, and my son went and got her right back no questions asked. I really like that they have that. There are so many pets that are wandering the streets now. It’s a good thing to have that.”

The Humane Society is a cause close to Macy Casner’s heart, too. For the sixth year in a row, she and other members of Girl Scout Troop 1239 in Seymour volunteered at the Dog Days Dog Show.

At the end of Saturday’s event, she presented a $100 check to the Humane Society for the seventh straight year. She has done that every year with money she received for her birthday.

“I love pets,” the Seymour Middle School seventh-grader said. “There are people that leave pets out there on the road that get run over, and I don’t want that to happen to these puppies. If they don’t want a pet, they should bring them to the Humane Society, not just leave them on the road.”

Jamie Jones, president of the Humane Society of Jackson County, said she appreciates Casner’s generosity.

“Her group, they’ve made cat blankets for the cats and all sorts of stuff and toys,” Jones said. “It’s pretty cool that she has wanted to give her money for so many years. It’s wonderful.”

Jones also was happy with the turnout Saturday and appreciated local pet businesses setting up booths.

“I think it’s just a fun thing to do with your pet,” she said. “There’s not a whole lot of pet events, so it’s a fun way to just get out and have fun with your animal and then be with other animal people.”

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16th annual Dog Days Dog Show

Category;Winner;Breed;Owner;Entrants

Most hair;Holly;Saint Bernard;David Neuman;5

Longest tail;Tucker;Goldendoodle;Marci Black;7

Best smile;Winston;Mix;Jerri Duchaine;5

Oldest dog;Betty;Beagle;Ellen Mirer;3

Best dressed;Betty;Beagle;Ellen Mirer;12

Most unique;Cody Muffin;Samoyed/Husky/Malamute;Sarah Montgomery;5

Longest ears;Copper;Basset hound;Kristen Eldridge;3

Most resembling owner;Clifford;Goldendoodle;P.J. Marshall;5

Precious puppy;Lilly;Chihuahua;Linda Rumph;7

Best trick;Charlie;Toy poodle;Katie Deppen;8

Best rescue story;Cocoa;Chihuahua mix;Pegi Bricker;2

Hot dog hunt;Tucker;Goldendoodle;Marci Black;9

The show drew 34 dogs and 27 owners from Seymour and Salem.

Jay Hubbard served as emcee. The judges were Dr. Paul Rennekamp from St. Francis Pet Hospital, Kim Louden from Seymour Animal Hospital and Seymour City Councilman Matt Nicholson.

Registration fees and monetary donations benefit the Humane Society of Jackson County’s medical fund, which helps with the cost of medical treatment for ill or injured dogs and cats.

Sponsors that provided advertising, treat bags, door prizes or monetary donations were Graessle-Mercer, Jackson County Visitor Center, Pet Supplies Plus, Paws-N-Klaws Pet Parlor, Purple Shamrock Farm and Susie’s Hall of Pet Care.

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