By Roslyn Ryan, Editor
editor@powhatantoday.com

Westminster, it wasn’t.

But for the handful of dogs taking part in the first annual Powhatan County Fair Dog Contest, the top prizes were no less coveted.

At least a dozen pooches took the stage to see how they stacked up in categories ranging from “Best Trick” to “Shortest Tail.”

(That second category was something of a “gimme” for a multicolored mutt named Simeon, after the judge doing the measuring failed to determine if the dog even had a tail.)

There was also “Shortest,” taken by a Chihuahua named Duke (9 inches), and “Best Bark” taken by a ball of fluff named Shaggy after the only other competitor, Duke, appeared to suffer a bout of performance anxiety.

It was an altogether friendly and laidback pool of competitors — with nary a nip witnessed all night —  but if the fur wasn’t flying, the drool most certainly was (note to next year’s judging panel: I’d wear a slicker).

The most hotly contested event of the evening was the costume contest, which a pup named Pugsly narrowly missed being disqualified from after suffering a momentary wardrobe malfunction while putting on his pants.

The show went on, however, and in the end Shaggy ran away with the win in the “Best Costume” category.

Well, he didn’t actually run away with anything; owing to the intricacy of his ensemble — a full motorcycle riding outfit complete with boots, a helmet, and goggles, —  Shaggy appeared to be rendered pretty much immobile.

While the evening didn’t go off without a hitch or two, organizer Kathy Howland agreed that the contest had been an overall success, and, most importantly, a tremendous amount of fun for all involved. The event will most certainly, she confirmed, be back next year.

Hear that Pugsly? Keep your pants on.