Highland Terrier, Mini Aussie take top spots at Lions’ Friendly Dogs ‘Tail Wagging’ Contest

The Logan County Fair went to the dogs Saturday as the Sterling Lions Club hosted its annual Friendly Dogs “Tail Wagging” Contest.

This popular event was begun over 50 years ago, with the idea coming from former county agent and Lion Jim Read. The contest is open to all dogs, even those that don’t have a tail and there were a couple of those this year. That is merely considered a handicap and not a disqualifier.

Judging the dogs based on speed, enthusiasm and sincerity of tail wagging were Lions Sandy Ray, Dianne Budin and Rudy Budin.

There were two divisions based on the age of the handler, juniors age 12 and under and seniors age 13 and over. This year the judges had a large number of dogs to consider as there were seven entries in the junior contest and eight in the senior division.

Dogs vying for the top prize came in all sizes, from larger breeds including a golden retriever and Labrador to a tiny Chihuahua mix.

As competitors were called, they slowly led their dogs around the ring to visit each judge. Most of the dogs were excited to see the judges, putting their full tail wag on display and some even tried to bribe the judges with a kiss.

With so many friendly faces and excited tail wags going on, the competition was a close one but no tie-breaking “wag off” was needed this year. After all the points were tabulated, Bronx, a Highland Terrier shown by Brixley Monheiser, took first place in the junior division with 78 points and his owner received $10 and a plaque; Luna, a Bernedoodle shown by Rylie came in second, and her owner received $5; and Blue, a Heeler Aussie Shepherd, shown by Brooke Brom, was third place and his owner received $3.

In the senior division, Millie, a Mini Aussie shown by Shana Brown took top honors with 67 points; Cooper, a Labrador shown by Sara came in second with 64 points; and Chester, a Golden Retriever shown by Megan Wolf rounded out the top three with 58 points.

Originally Published: August 4, 2024 at 10:14 a.m.

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