Dogs and Owners ‘Pawty in the Park’

The Belize Humane Society organized and put off the first ever dog show and ‘pawty’ at the Memorial Park in Belize City.  Dog lovers, as well as man’s best friends, came out in great numbers to socialize and compete in the many categories. In the end, King, an English bulldog from Orange Walk, came out on top in best costume and the overall category.  News Five’s Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

House pet or yard dog, man’s best friend can serve many roles in a home. And while their purpose can go unrecognized, a recently held party by the Belize Humane Society focused primarily on dogs. The first ever Dog Show and ‘Pawty’ in the Park was organized to bring the domesticated animals and their owners together.

Insp. Brent Hamilton, Commander, K9 Unit, Police Department

“Dogs that were well taken care of by owners. We saw dogs that had some physical problems and we just saw good pet owners. And they stood up to the challenges that we had today. We had best dressed dog, dog with the best trick, best obedient dog…to mention a few. I wish that we would have had the participation of more dogs, but we had almost about thirty dogs out here today.”

But being a pet owner is much more than feeding a dog with chow and water; it comes with a lot of responsibilities. A dog, like any human, needs to be nurtured and cared for with regular visits to the vet.

Brent Hamilton

Insp. Brent Hamilton

“You need to get the dog physical, mental and medical examinations. That’s the first thing when you get a puppy; you need to get all the shots that you need. The next thing you need to do is to look at how you’re going to take care of the dog. Look at your environment, look at how you’re going to leave the dog—if it is going to be in a doghouse, well caged, well fenced. Those are the two qualities of a dog. Don’t treat a dog how you don’t want to treat yourself. So your dog needs to walk every morning, every evening; your dog needs to be fed at least twice a day, good water…bathe twice for the week. What is important to me is never try to hit your dog, never try to abuse your dog in any kinda form or shape.”

Training your dog is important and it showed in the presentations during the dog show. There were different breeds of dogs at the Memorial Park; in different shapes, sizes and colors; with rich furs and fancy collars. Two striking dogs were the smallest of the bunch and the best dressed. Four-year-old Zeus, a full-breed teacup Chihuahua, won over the judges with his bold eyes.

Marceli Gonzalez

Marceli Gonzalez, Pet Owner

“I spoil him beyond measures. I spoil him too much and that’s why he has such a pretentious attitude, but I love him anyways. I entered him in the smallest dog and the best dressed category; he doesn’t have his sweater on now, but he had on a fabulous sweater and I hope he wins.  It’s difficult when they are puppy and you don’t have the patience because they chew everything, they go over the house and make a mess, but once you get them trained and tell them don’t use the bathroom in the house, they pretty much understand to go downstairs. Because he is spoiled, when he gets mad, he purposely goes in one of our bedrooms and pees in there or use the bathroom.”

Stealing the spotlight, however, was King, a flawless English bulldog that commanded attention with his cape and crown to win best dressed for the day; he also walked away with the overall best dog.  His owner, Roberto Ordonez from Orange Walk, says that King eats yogurt with his chow daily to ensure his white fur grows immaculate.

Roberto Ordonez, Pet Owner

“King is one year three months, full breed. We came prepared for this competition. I have two dogs; I also have a German shepherd and I love dogs.”

Roberto Ordonez

Duane Moody

“Now is it difficult to raise them? I know that is one of the reasons why people don’t get dogs or pets, because they can’t deal with the stress of raising them and what have you.”

Roberto Ordonez

“Oh, it takes a lot of love, care and patience and I take very good care of my dogs.”

Belize Humane Society also took an opportunity to showcase their ‘Adopt a Dog’ program. Chairperson Deborah Lewis says that there is always a need for people to foster dogs temporarily as well as adopt.

Deborah Lewis

Deborah Lewis, Chairperson, Board of Belize Humane Society

“A lot of the work that we do as the Humane Society deals with the dogs that are in need. It’s the rescue dogs, the dogs that are abandoned, hurt. This is a different kind of thing where we can celebrate our love for dog. And there’s a lot of people in Belize who love their animals and we want to celebrate that too. I certainly see a lot of people over there playing with the puppies and hopefully some of them will find their forever home today.”

Duane Moody for News Five.