In the spring of 1895, the Ohio Humane Society held a large public event which included a dog show. It was a financial success and the profits were earmarked for a “dog farm” where stray dogs could live instead of being killed. The American Field wrote about the show and here is the relevant portion:
Dog shows and humane societies were looked upon at the time as having a common interest: dogs. They were far from enemies and, as illustrated here, could work together for mutual benefit. It seems impossible to imagine such an event taking place today which, although I am leery of using rose-colored glasses to view history, strikes me as unfortunate.
In the June 29 issue, there was a little anecdote about a couple of dogs entered at the show:
I was thinking, what a fun day! And then…a dog was stolen?!
Not an uncommon occurrence at bench shows of the era. While some owners (or their hired help) did stay with their dogs during the benching hours, many did not. In fact, some dogs were simply put on trains and sent to the shows on their own, the host clubs promising they would be looked after and brought into the ring for judging. Although owners in attendance did try to look out for other dogs, there was certainly opportunity for thieves.