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Pets strut their stuff at Winter Classic Dog Show
By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN © St. Petersburg Times, published January 15, 2001 Gloria Flippen moved like a voice-activated robot to the orders called out in clipped tones by the tall man in a jacket. "Left turn. Slow. NOR-mal," the man called. Flippen turned, slowed her pace and then sped up again in response. Though nervous, Flippen was not the center of attention in a grassy, closed-in ring at the Winter Classic Dog Show east of Brooksville on Saturday. The judge set his eyes on the small yellow-brown Pomeranian named Amber at Flippen's feet. "Halt," the judge called. Flippen stopped. Amber had other ideas. Resembling the bottom of a dust mop with feet, Amber looked up and continued walking around Flippen's ankles, eventually stopping in front of her. Flippen grimaced. The crowd, sitting in lawn chairs, giggled. So did the judge. That will surely cost Amber points in the obedience show, Flippen said later from the sidelines. That's OK, she said. The 3-year-old dog still had a good chance of winning her second leg in the three-leg process to get a "companion dog degree." Amber was one of 2,500 dogs brought this weekend to the third annual Winter Classic Dog Show at Florida Classic Park just west of Interstate 75, south of State Road 50. The show started Saturday and runs through today from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Flippen of Warner Robins, Ga., outside of Macon, joined the throngs of dog owners, many of whom camped out in one of about 300 recreational vehicles driven to the site, for a shot at getting another certificate for her pet. While RVs lined the inside of the park with metal dog cages in between, Flippen chose to stay in an area motel. But that did not diminish the camaraderie. "It's fun just getting out," she said. "I love animals. I love my dog. It's fun showing what she can do -- and can't do." But three years after the park began attracting dog owners and lovers from around the country, a few residents across the two-lane Lockhart Road are still howling about the traffic and noise problems. While several homeowners on Lockhart said they had no problems other than dodging cars and RVs during the weekend, the Colemans are moving out of their rental home after living there five years. About 300 feet across the country road from the park, the Colemans are fed up with the traffic, lights and barking dogs that accompany the annual event and the smaller shows in between. "They were in and out of here all night long," Linda Coleman said on Saturday. "Three, four o'clock in the morning we had dogs barking. As of next month we will not be here. Every time they have a show, it takes a police officer to get out of my driveway. This is exactly what we anticipated." The Colemans protested plans for the park several years ago when a proposalwent before the County Commission for rezoning 50 acres of rolling pasture west of I-75. Now Linda Coleman's family, including husband Orville, who grew up in Hernando County, will head south to Pasco County next month. "We attended every meeting there was, but we lost," Coleman said. Mary Manning, coordinator for the Winter Classic Dog Show, disputed the complaints about the dogs at night. "I hear more cows mooing than dogs barking," she said. The traffic will only increase as business plans for the area begin to materialize, she added. "We have traffic here; we never said we wouldn't, but we do control it," she said, adding that the park hires local police officers for special duty to control traffic. The event brings money into the county from owners and viewers who spend on hotels, restaurants and gasoline. "We love it here. We're sorry the neighbors are leaving," she said. Among those spending money at local hotels are husband-and-wife team Gale Christy and Kathleen Mayer of Hampton. The two have spent the weekend nights at an area hotel with two king-sized beds: one bed for each of them to snuggle up with one of their two Anatolian shepherds. The enormous yet gentle dogs are contenders for best of breed prizes. At the rate of success for 140-pound Kafadar -- whose Turkish name means "kindred spirit" -- he should be at the top of his breed in the nation by next month, Christy said, leading the dog out of his cage in the grooming tent. Reaching the height of an adult's hip, the blond Kafadar quickly dropped to a visitor's foot and rested his massive black head on a shoe. The dogs are as gentle as kittens with children, part of their long history of being a protector, Christy said. "This breed is 6,000 years old," Christy said between drags on a cigarette. "In Turkey, they breed them to protect livestock. They've killed wolves and jackals. In this country they've killed mountain lions to protect livestock." Shows like this one in Hernando County help breeders find interested parties who want to buy litters ahead of time or mate an animal with a champion, a coupling that could cost $1,000. While some came to the park to display their dogs, others attended the shows this weekend simply to watch. "I love dogs, and this was something to do today," said Vivian Leitz of Brooksville with friend Aubrey Patten of Floral City, as they watched the prancing of poodles, shepherds and bulldogs Saturday afternoon. "I've never seen so many dogs." The size and professionalism of the show proves a milestone for the community, Patten said. "This is big time, really," he said.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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