A Dog-Gone Good Time at Oak Crest Canine Cup

Parkville, Maryland—For one fall morning, Oak Crest shared the same thrill and glamour enjoyed at the Westminster Kennel Club. The occasion was Canine Cup V, the semi-annual dog show held at the Erickson Living retirement community on October 27.

A dozen of the top canines, owned by residents and priority list members of Oak Crest, took to the main stage in Erickson Hall to perform and pose for the judges and audience. The dogs were a mix of rescues and purebreds.

“Oak Crest is pet-friendly retirement community with common sense ownership rules in place,” stated Jeff Getek, public affairs manager and event coordinator. “We understand that pets, particularly dogs, are really like members of the family for people of all ages. Every day, it’s fun to watch residents socialize as they are walking their dogs around our loop road.”

To showcase their talents, owners enters their dogs in one or more of four categories—Best Costume, Best Trick, Waggiest Tail and Best In Show—to the delight of the audience.

The three-member, distinguished judges panel consisted of Lauren Cook, morning reporter for ABC 2 News Baltimore, Sharon Scholze, publisher of Maryland Dog Magazine and Serena Stone-Jackson, Executive Assistant for Oak Crest Administration. They graded the dogs using Oak Crest’s infamous Four Paw Scoring System, which accounts for enthusiasm, charm, appearance and creativity.

When the scores were tallied, the four champion canines of 2016 were announced:

Best Costume: Mini Li, a miniature Pomeranian (owned by Dianne Rose)
Best Trick: Tartan, a Border Terrier (owned by Joyce Kirn)
Waggiest Tail: Chappy, a Tibetan Spaniel (owned by Janet Hare)
Best In Show: Lucky, an English Springer Spaniel (owned by Al Swiston)

The winners received gift cards for PetSmart. Lucky, the Best In Show, also was awarded a specially-designed Balloon Canine Cup created by Robbie Furman, Erickson Advantage Manager at Oak Crest. Entertainment was supplied by the staff of Oak Crest TV.