Come summer and the historic Niles District in Fremont, California, puts on a fun community event for all dog lovers: The Niles Dog Show. It is an annual event that showcases dogs of all breeds, rescue organizations, vendors, adorable doggie competitions, demonstrations by the Fremont Police K-9 unit and, this year, by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team too. There’s also the Pancake Breakfast and the Doggie Water Park. The show’s been going on for 26 years with 2 of those years canceled due to covid. But it is back and as popular as ever.
Why write about the history? As my Jay (labradoodle) entered his senior years, it gave me so much appreciation for the older pooches. This year we weren’t able to make it to the event, but it got me thinking about the first event that started it all. Browsing through old photos with my pooch nearby and wondering where all those dogs might be now, how they were doing, etc., the idea of writing about the show’s history and the first K-9 demo unit came about, bringing to the forefront an awareness of those that helped bring this event to Niles, an event we love.
Why now? Between the time the show’s history was being researched and now, my Jay’s time on earth got short in a hurry. He is now in a beautiful meadow where the grass is green, the sunshine bright, animals running around happily and my boy probably having a very animated, friendly conversation with the squirrels up there. (Yes, that’s my idea of the Beyond).
HISTORY: Gene Walters was the promotional director for Niles Main Street twenty-six years ago. He was looking to bring some fun and business to Niles (Fremont, California) for the month of July. In the process, talking to Don Dewey, a citizen born and raised in this historic district of Fremont, who happened to love dogs and being friends with many doggie parents in the area, the idea of the Niles Dog Show was born.
After rounding up fellow dog friendly folks and brainstorming ideas, Don set about getting permits from the city. In those days, the landscape was different.
Two permits were issued where the show could take place on undeveloped (at the time) land. One permit allowed them to sell raffles, etc on land that belong to the city-water department. Adjacent to that land was another city property that the city issued the permit to stage the show but there would be no exchange of money for any reason.
On the very first committee and the years following, there were a few wonderful people, who with their dedication and hard work, brought the idea of a dog show in Niles to fruition. They were Don Dewey, Nancy Lance (who, as then President of the Ohlone Association – Ohlone Humane Society, wanted to help), Carol Spindler, Nancy Munn, Ann Healer and a few others (I apologize – their names escape me, but they are still very much appreciated by people like me). There were eight of them on that committee, brainstorming ideas that we get to watch and enjoy to this day.
In the first 8-10 years, Don took care of getting permits, bales of hay (in the 1st year, 30 bales of hay were bought!), sponsors, volunteers, etc. With the passage of time and given the huge success of the dog show, Don started to delegate work to others, giving them the responsibility of being in charge of sorting out the details of parking, vendors, sponsors, volunteers, participants, etc.
Initially the profit was split between Ohlone Humane Society and the Niles Main Street with the former getting 60% of the share and the latter 40%. Now, though, because of equal preparation and participation, both parties get equal share of the profit: 50% – 50%. During the early years, the show brought in approximately $1,200.00 while recent years have seen that intake bumped to approximately $16,000.00.
The first year saw 30 dogs registered at the Niles Dog Show. How awesome was that!
One year, they had a sheepherder bring his sheep and dogs to participate in the show and demonstrate the skills of his sheepherding dogs in front of an audience of pooches and their families. Well, as cartoons go so does real life sometimes… While the demo was going on, an enthusiastic rottweiler broke loose (the sight of all those chops must’ve been just too much) and charged into mayhem heaven, sprinting after the poor sheep who, in turn, raced for dear life, far away from McSpeedy. Can you just imagine the ensuing shock and, dare I say, amusement that took over? So, what did happen next? The levelheaded sheepherder whistled, his well-trained dogs listened and the sheep, who lived to see another day, were gently rounded up by their furry guardians. As for the canine troublemaker, his family held onto him and the show continued with nary a peep from our Mr. Fleety Paws McMuffin. Meanwhile, the rest of the audience thought it was part of the demonstration. No harm done.
Sometimes an unexpected event happens that can make a show very memorable, so memorable because it never happens again. Such was the case in the first year of this dog show. As the show debuted, people wandered around the premises, taking in the beautiful weather and checking out the event when, suddenly, to everyone’s surprise, they got a real dousing surprise! Yes – a good ol’ drenching is what that surprise was! Hehe! You see, the organizers had forgotten to ask the city to hold off on watering the lawn until after the event. Well, you guessed it! Pooches and their humans, some strolling by, checking out everything or being participants, while others relaxing on the lawn and all of a sudden, everybody was soaking wet! Suffice to say, it was never repeated. I wonder if anyone’s got photographs of that incident.
A few years after the show’s debut (early 2000s), the Fremont Police Department, at the invitation of the show’s organizers, started doing their demos with their fine, brave K-9 unit. The first demo unit comprised of (now retired) Officer Jill Wilkerson and her K-9 partner (Please, if anyone knows the name of that pioneering pooch, please let me know). Currently there are 5 K-9 teams who help with law and order. The ones who appear on the demos are those who are available on that day. The FPD do not get paid to demo. They do it to showcase the K-9 unit’s capabilities. They also have a Q & A session with the show’s attendees. This part of the Niles Dog Show has come to be a huge crowd favorite among the visitors.
(FYI: The K-9 teams do have a booth alongside others where they sell items and the proceeds go towards their K-9 Fund that help meet the medical needs of our very worthy, retired K-9s.)
A SPECIAL SHOUT-OUT TO:
Jay, my senior pooch, my love, who started this thought process. To know more about Jay: My JAY: Memories Of A Loved Pooch – Simple World View
Mr. Don Dewey & Sergeant James Taylor (current Sergeant in charge of supervising the K9 Unit, Fremont PD, California): Both, individually, took the time, out of their busy schedules to answer queries from a total stranger. Being quite reserved, it’s quite a challenge for me to reach out to strangers. Their kindness and willingness to share their knowledge is very much appreciated. Thank you both.
Sergeant Kim Macdonald (Fremont PD, California): Thank you for responding to my initial request for information and guiding me to the right person.
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
― Aesop
_________________________________________________________________________
- Dear Reader, 1st: Thank you for making it to the end of this post.
- 2nd: If you do have any historical information that I can add to this post or there are corrections to be made, please let me know.
- 3rd: Please share, in the comments, any fond memories/photos of your visit to this event and please do note down the year. Thanks again. Take care.