Dog Land – Florida’s First Meet the Breeds

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228 – May, 2021

By Caroline Coile

Photos courtesy of Will Shetterly

To most of us, it sounds like the first Meet the Breeds at the AKC National Championship Show in Orlando. But this is from an article in a Florida newspaper, the Gilcrest County Journal, from 1960, and it’s describing one of the most unusual dog exhibits ever in this country.

“DOGLAND, located just south of the Suwannee River on US19, 98, ALT 27 and ALT 129, between Oldtown and Chiefland, Florida, opened to the public on June 19, 1960.”

Dog Land was the brainchild of Bob Shetterly, Vincenzo Calvaresi, and C.J. Wade, head of the Lexington Kennel Club. Shetterly, who actually ran Dog Land, wasn’t actually a dog person. “He grew up on a farm and had a very pragmatic approach to animals, but he went to a dog show once and had a brainstorm,” recalls his son Will Shetterly, who, along with his father, mother, and two young siblings, lived at Dog Land. “When Dad came up with the idea, dog shows were rare.”

They convinced 32 other dog enthusiasts to invest in the attraction, which was to eventually showcase the 113 different breeds then recognized by the AKC. “More than 90 different dogs from more than 25 states and five foreign countries are presently at Dog Land,” continues the article. “Plans call for 120 breeds when the collection is complete. Eleven Champions are among the present collection at Dog Land, with some of these individuals valued as high as $2,500.”

According to Will Shetterly, whose parents ran Dog Land, leading breeders around the country not only supplied the dogs at no cost but may have paid for the privilege to have their dog on display. That’s because visitors could place an order to buy a dog from any of the breeders while there. More than 100 breeds were on site within the first year of operation.

Click here to read the complete article
228 – May, 2021

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Posted by AnthonyA on May 31 2021. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.