The show goes on despite raining dogs and fortunately no cats

Sarah Van Der Kley and Martin Good.

Saturday brought a whole new meaning to the saying "It's raining cats and dogs".

While there weren't many cats in sight at The Birdwoods Great Dog Show, there were certainly a lot of canines ready to show themselves off when the skies opened and that great storm hit the Bay.

The organiser of the show, Louise, had been to the bank the day before and was talking about the event to a member of staff who declared it would rain. "How do you know?" asked Louise.

The bank teller replied, "It always rains on dog shows." And she was right. Rain, hail, thunder and lightning greeted the 140 dogs and their owners who had turned up for the first dog show to be held at Birdwoods.

While some decided it was a bit much for them to handle, many stayed and strutted their stuff around the grounds in the hope of winning a prize.

The categories were a little different from your normal dog show with awards handed out for those dogs deemed the best dressed, shiniest, most like their owner, hairiest and of course, the most ugly but adorable dog. And boy was the winner of that last one something special. I'm not entirely sure of the breed but I'd guess it is a Chinese crested.

They are the little dogs who have very little hair (other than an unruly tuft on their head) and whose tongues are always hanging out the side of their mouth.

"We just came to clean up all the ugly prizes," the owner remarked.

It was such a fun afternoon and the dogs were all extremely well behaved, if a little wet and stinky by the end! Fortunately, before the storm unleashed itself most owners had already registered their dogs and paid the $10 fee, all of which was donated to the SPCA Hastings and Districts.

My favourite category was the happiest rescue dog. This involved owners presenting a dog they had "rescued" from the pound, SPCA or other organisation and it was wonderful to see so many dogs that otherwise may not have had a future enjoying their new life with a family who love and care for them.

Even though the weather did not play ball (we didn't actually have any balls there, that would have been a recipe for disaster), the day was a great success and is something Birdwoods are planning to do again.

- Don't miss Martin Good and Sarah Van Der Kley on The Hits Hawke's Bay from 6am to 9am Monday to Friday.