100 Years Ago: Alton Dog Show Draws Crowd (and Dogs) From Across the Country

The Alton Kennel Club held its inaugural dog show on March 23 and 24, 1926. There was not going to be a St. Louis Dog Show in 1926, so the Alton Kennel Club expected a large turnout, but even the Kennel Club members were surprised at the wide interest leading up to the Alton show. An Alton Evening Telegraph article on February 24, 1926, mentioned that applications had so far been received from fifteen states, including New York, Texas, Colorado, and South Dakota.

Participants entered 296 dogs in the two-day bench show. At a bench show, dogs stay at their designated bench on-site all day so that spectators can see the dogs up close and talk to their breeders or owners. This differs from the type of dog show where dogs are shown in a ring and can leave after judging. The show was held in the former Alton Hardware Company building at Broadway and State Street. Twenty-five different breeds of dogs from twelve states competed, and “probably not more than 10 per cent of the dogs [were] locally owned.” Setters made up the largest single variety of dogs. There were sixty-seven setters, which was a larger number than were shown in the 1925 St. Louis Dog Show. There were forty-six pointers, thirty-seven beagles, and thirty shepherds. Over 2,400 people attended the dog show over its two-day period.

The judges were John W. Burton of Chicago, all breeds except beagles, bloodhounds, pointers, and setters, and J.T. Toohey of Peoria – bloodhounds, pointers, setters, and beagles. S.I. Pautler, of St. Louis, secretary of the Mississippi Valley Kennel Club, served as superintendent of the show.

Judges awarded “Collins Rattler King,” a Boston terrier owned by Willard L. Boehner of Springfield, the club cup and the title of best dog in the show. He was shown by Miss Mabel Thorpe of St. Louis. Thorpe was well known in dog show circles in the 1920s and 1930s, and her Boston Terriers won awards all over the country.

Other dogs up for the top award were “Ali Graystock,” a German police dog owned by George W.R. Andrade of Stuart, Florida, and J.Wesley Hoar’s English setter “Rodney Paliacho Man.” A locally owned favorite was Elmer Faulstich’s pointer “Alton Bob.” Mrs. T. W. Sessinghaus of St. Louis had an exhibit of miniature Pomeranians, including the smallest dog in the show, “Dainty Poppy,” who weighed two and a half pounds. John W. Olin won first with his pointer, “Dapper Dan,” in the novice pointer class.

“There isn’t a dog in the show but is beautiful in the eyes of someone, but to others, they look like someone had made a mistake. One approaches the ugliest dog – ugly by the novice’s standard of dog beauty – and while thinking that is the homeliest brute he ever saw, the owner will give some information as to what a valuable creature he is. Now there was a bulldog who looked like he had been struck in the face by a passenger train. His owner considers him a perfect type of dog beauty. There were little fluffy dogs and big woolly dogs. There were dogs of all colors and kinds. There were two that looked exactly like young lions, regular man-eaters. Every dog lover in Alton should see that show sometime tonight or tomorrow.”

The Alton dog show had gotten much bigger than originally planned, but it also attracted a larger audience than anticipated. The show was a financial success in that the income just about exactly balanced expenses, which meant that club members did not have to assume payment of a deficit.

Most of the dogs shown at the dog show in Alton moved on to the show at Chicago (put on by the Chicago Kennel Club), which opened the next day, Thursday, March 25.

Sources

“The Dog Show.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), March 23, 1926.

“Dog Show Gets Under Way with Great Exhibit.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), March 23, 1926.

“Dog Show Here Closes; Terrior [sic] Wins Big Cup.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), March 23, 1926.

“Dog Show Here Was Financial Success.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), April 22, 1926.

“Dog Show Open Tuesday, with 296 Entered.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), March 20, 1926.

“Dog Show to Open Here on March 23.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), January 14, 1926.

“Fight [sic] Annual Dog to Open Tuesday.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), March 22, 1926.

“Many Entries for First Dog Show.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), February 24, 1925.

National Geographic Society (U.S.), Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and Ernest Harold Baynes. 1919. The Book of Dogs; an Intimate Study of Mankind’s Best Friend,. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society.https://archive.org/details/cu31924001178130

“Winners to be Named Tonight for Dog Show.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), March 24, 1926.

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