“Photo: James Whitcomb gets his dog, Skeeter, ready for the fitting and showing competition at the first-ever Mighty Mutts 4-H Dog Show.Matt Johnson / staff photoThe first dog day of spring settled over South Whidbey on April 15. No, it was not particularly hot or balmy, but there were dogs aplenty at the Island County Fairgrounds for the first-ever Mighty Mutts 4-H Dog Show.Club leader Margaret Evans said 37 dogs and their owners participated in the show. Scheduled several weeks in advance of the all-island spring dog show, this smaller event served as a warmup for novice and advanced dog owners alike. The show was unusual in that it was one of only a handful sponsored by a single 4-H club over the past few decades, Evans said. Conceived by Might Mutts member Amy Reid, the show was a fund raiser for the club and for the Island County 4-H Dog Project.On the day of the event, dogs and their owners had the sun over their heads and fresh green grass under their feet as they prepared for fitting and showing and obedience events. Dogs no larger than kittens milled with canines that stood shoulder high to their owners, but when the competitions started, all the four-legged competitors were equals. Of course, with ribbons on the line, some wound up being more equal than others in the show rings at the fair’s Fiddle Faddle Farm.Several Mighty Mutts members earned awards for their dogs’ performances. Leslie Patrick went home a grand champion in the novice obedience event, with Amy Reid taking reserve champion. Madalyn Evans took the big prize in the junior fitting and showing event, while Ariel Schmidke was the intermediate champion in the same category.Margaret Evans said the show could become an annual event.”