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Visiting Berwyn: The Great American Mutt Show (Part 2)

By Kevin Robinson in Arts & Entertainment on May 18, 2010 6:00PM

This past weekend was the Great American Mutt Show, Berwyn's answer to the stuffy and formal International Kennel Club's annual celebration of the purebred canine. Now in it's third year, the Berwyn Development Corporation established the Chicagoland Great American Mutt Show to celebrate the spirit and individuality of the kinds of dogs typically found in local homes across Chicagoland.

Featuring almost every breed and combination of dog and hosted in the always captivating parking lot of Morton West High School, this year's show did not disappoint. And of course, Chicagoist was on hand to capture the dog-based action first hand. Unlike the IKC competition, where row after row of purebred dogs wait for their turn to strut their stuff before well-qualified judges, the dogs (and their people) at the Great American Mutt show are all about one thing: having a good time. Featuring a variety of "entertainment-based" competitions, local pooches competed for Best Kisser and Waggiest Tail. The Chicagoland DockDogs regional competition was held as well, as local dogs tried for qualifying wave times, speed retrieval, and extreme jumps, all off a mounted dock over an above-ground pool.

If you missed it, check out our first gallery of the show here.