DeKalb Co. Snapshot: All-Star Canines

By CURTIS CLEGG – cclegg@shawmedia.com

Charlie Kingren, 4, of Sycamore, plays with Lindy, an Australian shepherd, before the show. (CURTIS CLEGG – cclegg@shawmedia.com)

SYCAMORE – One of the star performers at a holiday pageant last week was only 7 months old.

Lindy, a 7-month-old Australian shepherd, was one of seven dogs who performed during the All-Star Canines Holiday Show hosted by Huckleberry’s Pet Parlor at the Sycamore Public Library on Tuesday, Dec. 6.

“She did really well, considering how young she is,” said Jenny Kingren, who co-owns Huckleberry’s with her husband, Scott. “Every breed is different, but the Australian shepherd seems to want to learn different things and then do it.”

About 125 people, many of whom were young children, packed into the large meeting room at the library to watch the dogs’ performance. Huckleberry’s has hosted two spring shows before, but this was the first holiday performance.

“The kids really liked it, and it was a good opportunity for families to come out and do something free and fun together,” Kingren said after the show.

Buddy, another Australian shepherd, performed a trick that involved walking to a mailbox, opening the door, removing a small bundle of letters addressed to Santa, and carrying the bundle to her owner, Donna Petersen of Sycamore, all on command. Buddy then returned to the mailbox and put down the flag while Petersen read the dogs’ letters to Santa aloud, to the delight of the crowd.

Seven dogs were led through the evening’s performance by their owners and by employees of Huckleberry’s. Tricks included hanging ornaments on a Christmas tree, opening presents from Santa, modeling holiday costumes, pulling a wagon and watching while their handlers engaged in a friendly mock snowball fight with the young audience members.

“It was fun, and I got one of the snowballs and I got to throw it back,” said Gracie Johnson, 9, of Sycamore. The “snowballs” were small fabric balls filled with lightweight stuffing.

Although the dogs seemed slightly nervous about performing in front of such a large crowd, there were no major missed cues or accidents during the performance. The success of the performance is largely a result of the training the dogs received during obedience classes, said Tammie Cross, a dog trainer at Huckleberry’s.

“I like seeing the dogs have fun, and I like pushing them to see what they can do,” she said.

Kingren expects to present a dog circus at the library in the spring.