Do you have a cute dog? What about the cutest dog? Are you willing to put that to the test? Well, you’ll get the chance in March at the Jones Center.
They’re hosting the first Muttminster dog show there on Saturday, March 7. Ozarks at Large’s Jack Travis reached out to the Jones Center to learn more and got in touch with senior manager of programming Bree Bossier. She says they were inspired by the Westminster Dog Show and wanted to host a more accessible version for northwest Arkansas.
Bree Bossier: And we just thought, there are so many dog lovers in the area whose dogs are maybe a mutt, or like a strange, interesting-looking dog that doesn’t need to or doesn’t normally pop up in those kinds of settings. And we just thought, let’s create a dog show that’s funky and fun and brings all these different types of dogs together, whether they’re big, small, ugly, cute. Who knows what they look like? We just thought people would find that really fun.
Jack Travis: Yeah, there’s a variety of events for dogs, for their owners to enter their little pups into. Could you preview some of those, please?
Bossier: Yeah. So we’re going to have several different competitions that people can enter their dogs into different categories. So, for example, one that I think people will really love is going to be most like their owner. So getting to kind of compare the human to the dog, I think people love to do that.
And we’ll have things like best fashion, the coolest grooming, most unique grooming. And we’ll have some performative ones too, like the fastest fetch. And then we will also feature the puppies. Pup-and-Coming Star is what we’re calling it, and giving a shout-out also to those older dogs as well, giving them a chance to shine. So really a category for just about any dog.
Travis: And after the dog show, there’s a performance featuring the Puppy Pals. Who are the Puppy Pals?
Bossier: Yeah. So you may have seen them featured on America’s Got Talent. They are a traveling performance group that uses rescue dogs, and they teach them how to be performers on stage. And so you’ll get to see a lot of different dogs, featured dogs that might look like a lot of dogs that are going to be at this dog show.
But yeah, they perform all kinds of tricks, and you get to kind of interact with them throughout the show. So it’s a very engaging performance. So if you haven’t heard of them, definitely go just look them up on YouTube. They’re a really cool group, Puppy Pals Live. We’re really grateful to have them as a part of this event.
Travis: Yeah, and this is all happening at the Jones Center?
Bossier: All happening at the Jones Center. Yeah, it’s actually going to be very fun to see because normally we don’t allow dogs in our facility. But for this event only, we’re like, come on in, bring your dogs. So it’s going to be super cool to see all of those dogs running around the Jones Center that day.
This is going to be on March 7. We have kind of all things kicking off at 11 a.m. We’re going to have some booths, things for the guests who maybe aren’t participating in the dog show to come and engage with. And then we’re going to start that dog show at 12:30, and then later on that performance at 4 p.m. So it’s a full-day affair.
And by the way, you can come to this event whether you have a dog or not. This is not exclusive. I don’t have a dog and I am so pumped to be a part of this event, get to see it all. So don’t think that if you don’t have a dog you can’t come. It’s for everybody.
Travis: Nice. And there is a fee to register your dog for the competition, right?
Bossier: Yes, for the actual competition. So if you were to come and submit your dog to participate, you’re going to pay $10 per dog. And when you sign up, you can sign up for, I think it’s up to three different categories.
But if you are not a competitor, again, you can just come for free and enjoy the event. And of course, later in the afternoon when we have our Puppy Pals Live performance, that is a ticketed event as well. So if you’d like to get tickets for that, that’s going to be $15 for a ticket. You can also purchase those tickets on our website as well. But yeah, lots of different options for the day of the actual event.
Travis: Are there any prizes that folks or dogs can win?
Bossier: Our goal is every single category will have a prize. And we have been working with some community partners, those who are in the dog industry, whether that’s a grooming service, a vet hospital, puppy supplies, whatever that may be.
We’ve been working with them to provide some pretty great treats and prizes that we hope dog owners will actually really use and appreciate. So, for example, you might get a free nail trim at a grooming service, or you might get a free session of dog training for your puppy. There’s lots of different things. So yeah, we’re excited to engage those community partners to make sure that the winners of those categories really do walk away with something special.
Travis: Is this a first for the Jones Center, this kind of dog show?
Bossier: Yeah. This is our inaugural event for Muttminster. So we’re really hoping that our audience, our community, loves it. We’d love to see this continue to be a signature event for us that happens every year. So we would just love to see the community turn out and support it and see if we can keep it going.
Travis: Yeah, it’s great that you’re in charge of programming, because I just want to say y’all have had some really cool events lately, very unique, out-of-the-box things. Can we look forward to more events like this in the future?
Bossier: Yes, of course. We are always looking at our spaces that we have in the Jones Center because we’re known for ice skating, we’re known for swimming, we’re known for our recreational things. But we’re trying to reimagine what can we do in our gym that’s unique and different that people haven’t seen before. What can we do in our ice rink, in our pool?
So, for example, we have an upcoming ice show, The Wizard of Oz on Ice. So we’re trying to bring things like that performance to those spaces where people get to come and engage with us in a different way than they’re used to.
So yeah, that’s definitely a focus for us, reimagining the Jones Center spaces and kind of preparing the community for just different ways to do things here at the Jones Center.
Travis: Which category are you most excited for the Muttminster?
Bossier: I think for me, I am most excited for the unique grooming. I hope people go all out for that. I would love to see dogs with mohawks and maybe some dyed fur, some crazy spots and stripes. We’ll see how crazy people go, but I’m hoping that it’s going to be kind of a fantastic array of dogs in that category.
That was Bree Bossier speaking with Ozarks at Large’s Jack Travis. You can visit thejonescenter.org for more information about the Muttminster dog show. Bossier also noted that this event is part of the Jones Center’s 30th anniversary, and more live happenings will occur throughout 2026.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
