Hilton Head club’s dog show was a hot mess — again — say angry canine owners and handlers

The Hilton Head Island Kennel Club is taking some heat in the wake of its annual dog show, which numerous handlers and owners complained was held in a stiflingly hot venue this year.

“This weekend the Hilton Head KC put on one of the most miserable shows I have ever been to,” Arvind de Braganca wrote in a public Facebook post early Monday morning. “Though the club members worked hard, they did nothing for the safety and comfort of the dogs. NO AIR CONDITIONING! ... “

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were almost 200 comments on his post, many expressing the same sentiment in regard to the event, held over the weekend at Ridgeland-Hardeeville High School in Jasper County.

Participants and officials were told a lightning strike and associated mechanical problems affected the venue’s air conditioning. Two phone messages left with both club President Donald Brown and club Secretary Anne Thaeder were not returned Tuesday. An email sent to all club officers listed on the American Kennel Club’s website was not answered.

While some people worried that conditions were unsafe, event officials said they were not. Others said the show has had this problem in the past. Some owners and handlers, even those who want to support their local show, say that unless changes are made, they won’t be back next year.

Ridgeland’s Janet Rahn — who’s entered dogs in the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show — said de Braganca handled dogs for her in the high school gymnasium and she worried the event was a turnoff for him and others she’d asked to come to the show.

“It’s unfortunate,” Rahn told The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette on Monday. “I’m a small-town person and I believe in supporting small towns. ... In my opinion, it was absolutely poor planning — whoever planned it did a poor job.”

Rahn said unless the Hilton Head club picked a better venue and improved the show, she would not be back.

Brunswick, Georgia’s David Magnus, who entered bulldogs and French bulldogs in the show, told the newspapers he worried at times about the safety of his animals.

“I have all short-nosed dogs,” he said. “And when they’re panting and sweaty and they have, shall we say, what you might call ‘slobber’ on their face ... ,” he continued, trailing off. “Most of the people that show (dogs) a lot have battery-operated fans and those helped.”

He added that he usually wears a sport coat when he handles dogs in the ring, but that he — and almost every other owner and handler — couldn’t bear to wear them in the hot gym.

Dr. Pat Joyce, who drove from the Atlanta area to judge the event — and who is not affiliated with the club — said it was “uncomfortable” but not “unsafe.”

Dr. Daniel Dowling, another judge at the event — and a veterinarian with three decades of experience — said “there were no unsafe situations” he was aware of and that the event was “by no means the most uncomfortable place I’ve judged.” He is also not affiliated with the club.

Both judges, who are registered with the American Kennel Club, said the show coordinators did the best they could and that they brought in large fans to try to cool down the gymnasium. They also said that one of the on-site grooming rooms was cooled, which offered some respite for people and dogs.

In event publications, Hilton Head Kennel Club listed Ridgeland’s Palmetto Veterinary Hospital as an on-call show veterinarian — which came as a surprise to Palmetto spokesperson Ruth McBrayer, who said the club never contacted the hospital and never asked it to serve in that capacity.

Palmetto staff had no idea the show had been held, McBrayer said. She added that she’d written a letter to the club demanding it cease listing the hospital in its publications.

Hinesville, Georgia, dog owner Kim Johnson said she’s attended the show three consecutive years and that the venue had similar power and air-conditioning issues last year.

Dogs with “heavy coats,” she said, seemed particularly affected by the hot gym. “You could tell they were quite drained by the heat,” she said.

She said she won’t be back.

When asked if she’d ever experienced similar conditions elsewhere, Johnson — who’s been to hundreds of shows — was quick to answer.

“Only at the Hilton Head Kennel Club,” she said.

This story was originally published July 25, 2018 at 9:56 AM.