By Danielle Rexrode
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Oak Crest’s Canine Cup may not have all the pomp and circumstance of the Westminster Dog Show, but one thing’s for sure—the competitors knew how to have a doggone good time.

“It was such a nice event, and all the dogs were very well behaved,” says Master of Ceremonies John Gants, who lives at Oak Crest. “After today’s success I hope this will be an annual thing.”

The brainchild of Oak Crest Operations Associate Danielle Singley, the Canine Cup was the first of its kind at the Parkville-based community.

“This is something that Oak Crest has been trying to organize for a few years,” says Singley. “We knew that other Erickson communities had their renditions of a dog show, and we wanted to offer something similar to our dog owners. I really wanted to make this a fun event for the entire community.”

From poodles to ‘doodles
The show was open to all residents and their pets, as well as staff whose dogs are registered through Oak Crest’s volunteer program. Participants had the option to take part in two main components of the show: a meet and greet that showcased the dogs and a competition with categories like best catch, best kiss, and best trick.

“I realized that not every dog could do tricks, and I wanted to make the event available to anyone who wanted to participate,” says Singley.

From golden retrievers and poodles to Pomeranians, fox terriers, and Lhasa apsos, 11 dogs competed in the show, and a handful of other breeds peppered the audience.

Oak Crest Community Resources Coordinator Anna Topper and her four-year-old chocolate Labrador, Roxie, took home the superlative achievement award for Most Talkative.

“I was happy to be a part of it,” says Topper. “Roxie has a great personality. Whenever I bring her to work with me everyone loves her, so I figured this would be fun. I think even if you’re not a dog owner, you can appreciate the humor a dog can bring to a situation. Hopefully everyone had as much fun as I did!”