The Swedish Kennel Club has a very busy schedule in the next coming months as they will organize the World Dog Show 2008. As if this was not enough, they also had their big annual show in December and used this show a s a test case for the World Dog Show.
With a total entry of over 10.000 dogs (including all other dogs entered for different disciplines and demonstrations) in only two days. No wonder that they have so many entries as the entry fee, compared to Belgium, is only 2/3th .It was indeed a good test case as the World Dog Show will be in 4 days, which means that they will easily be able to welcome 20.000 dogs in July.
Three big halls of The Stockholm International Fair Center were in use and there was more place available. Hall A was reserved for the main ring, the breed stands, the competition area and a lot of trade stands. A lot more stands were situated in the main corridor. The Svenska Kennelklubbens had a huge promotion and info stand in the reception hall and as could be expected for big shows, several info stands for helping the visitors find their way.
Not only was there a big cloakroom available, but one of the conference rooms was reserved for the children. Here they could play, watch a movie, they could be grimed or take part in many activities.
The judging rings looked spacious enough and didn’t look overcrowded. In between hall B and C was an open place where the dogs could be walked. A part of it was covered in case of rain. At the doors to this area plastic bags were given to every dog owner for picking up the droppings.
I had the impression that a lot of visitors showed up on both days. Especially the central corridor with the many trade stands was difficult to pass through. It reminded me on Crufts sometimes. No need to tell you that dogs and dog sport are very popular in Sweden.
I was told that the Kennel Club works every year around some theme for this show. The theme for this year was “building up the World Show”. The main ring had a very big screen hanging in the middle against a black curtain. The décor were scaffolds and other stuff needed for constructing. All collaborators and presenters were dressed in workman's clothing, including safety helmets and safety footwear. Instead of using a podium, safety cones were used, holding the appropriate placing numbers on road signs. A minor thing was that these things were highly reflective for camera flashes, but the idea was very original.
The floor was covered by a blue and yellow carpet, the Swedish national colors. Along with the very bright floodlight that was focused on the dogs, it caused a strong color cast on the dogs, especially the white ones. But in general I was very happy with the overall light in the main ring. Also the music and comments were very clear and it gave a most professional impression.
The catalog was complete and informative, but I missed a few things like the statistics of the countries, the numbers of entries per breed (available in the separate program only) and there was hardly any translation into English or any other more international language. But I presume that for the World Show this will all be solved.
There was always something going on in the main ring during the day with demonstrations of Freestyle, Police dogs, Hunting demonstrations, IPO, the Narcotic Dog Brigade, a breed parade and even a fashion show with creations from Linda Manson.
The main ring program started was well scheduled and started and ended almost a programmed. There was enough place to hold all the dogs and ring stewards were most efficient. No need to tell you that the BOB dogs were all very nice examples of the breeds. We all know that the Scandinavian countries have very good dogs and are known worldwide for their high quality in breeding.
My overall impression was that we can expect a very professional organized World Dog Show in July, with lots of entertainment, a huge number of entries, a friendly and efficient staff , many many visitors and a huge scala of trade stands.
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