Beagle bonanza: Greene County hosts world dog championship
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Blue, owned by Tom Ingram of Parkersburg, W.Va., catches the scent of a rabbit during a hunt Friday afternoon on Randy Moore’s Greene County property.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Maddie Waybright, 7, of Parkersburg, W.Va., and her puppy Jackson run around the Greene County Fairgrounds Friday afternoon. Waybright’s parents, Jarrod and Tiffany, who won at the event in 2018, entered beagles in this year’s competition.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Beagles rest after elimination rounds Friday at the Hunting Beagle World Championship. The event was hosted by the Waynesburg Beagle Club at the Greene County Fairgrounds, the first time it’s ever been held in Pennsylvania.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Blue catches the scent of a rabbit during a Hunting Beagle World Championship elimination round Friday. The championship, comprised of four dogs, takes place Sunday.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Lightning Legs follows the competition into the brush Friday afternoon during a Hunting Beagle World Championship elimination round. Legs is owned by April Brown, a Pennsylvania competitor.
WAYNESBURG – People from across the United States gathered at the Greene County Fairgrounds Friday morning for the first elimination rounds of the 2022 Hunting Beagle World Championship.
“This is the first time it’s ever been in Pennsylvania,” said Randy Moore, a member of the Waynesburg Beagle Club who worked for a year to bring the prestigious event to Greene.
This year’s tournament welcomed 242 participants. Dogs competed in groups of four at spots throughout the county, where they spent about 90 minutes per round tracking rabbits.
“There’s a lot more rabbits in this part compared to other tournaments,” said Trevor McQuain, a two-time champion from Cambridge, Ohio.
The Greene County commissioners donated the fairgrounds to the local beagle club for the weekend-long event. Mule Brand Gear & Apparel, Nite Lite, Okie Dog Supply and G&H Sporting Goods sponsored the event.
Greene County Career and Technology Center provided food, and the National Hunting Beagle Association, which awards four scholarships annually and gives back to youth hunters, awarded “bonus” trophies to winners in several categories.
The championship round will be held Sunday, where folks will meet at the fairgrounds before the dogs head to a field for their showdown.
“(Moore) has done a lot of work to make this happen for Greene County,” said Dude Bennington, of West Greene.
Most area hotels were filled for the weekend, and some folks stayed in campers on the fairgrounds.
“The tournament’s about the same (as others),” said Brad Neff, a longtime Missouri-based competitor. “The host club has been absolutely amazing. The hospitality … has been absolutely amazing.”