Canicross and the Cat-hedral expo:
Cats and dogs compete in Sherbrooke
Ask a dog lover and a cat lover which is the better pet, and you might kick off a debate for the ages. Given that fact, it’s probably for the best that although there were competitions for both dogs and cats in Sherbrooke this weekend, they were only pitted against others of their own kind.
On Saturday morning Canicross Estrie held its first-ever harness racing competition in partnership with the City of Sherbrooke and the fédération Québécoise de sports canins attelés. The competition, which involved human and canine participants from all across the province, took place at the Andrénadeau outdoor centre in Rock Forest and involved a range of different events including cross-country running with dog and bikejoring, a form of bicycling where the cyclist is pulled by their dog. According to the event’s organizers the competition included more than 160 starts, despite Friday’s snowy weather.
On the fields of feline competition, meanwhile, the Saint Michel Cathedral in downtown Sherbrooke was host to the Exposition Feline de Sherbrooke, a cat exhibition and competition hosted in the city every year by the Club Felin du Rive Sud.
“We really aim to help people know the different breeds of cat and support animal welfare organizations,” said Annie Desmarais, President of the Estrie Monteregie and Centre du Quebec section of the club, adding that this year’s expo had 75 cats registered to between 40 and 50 human exhibitors.
“Every breed has its own standards, and the judges examine every cat registered in the show based on those standards,” Desmarais said, noting that over the course of the weekend the competition and exposition welcomed more than 550 visitors. “For us that is quite significant,” she added.
The Club Felin du Rive Sud hosts two shows per year, the fall show in Sherbrooke and another show in Drummondville in May.