We're Going In: The Buffalo Zoo Dog Show

Whirling jump-ropes, flying Frisbees, and wait, where's my treat?

Samantha Valle and furry friend bow-wowwing the crowd. Photo courtesy of the Buffalo Zoo.

I can hear it from my house, the din rising several times a day from the Buffalo Zoo. A sudden rise in energy, all through the summer.

The squawking of speakers. Shouts. Applause. Barks. More applause.

Excitement!

It happens several times a day, all summer long. And for the longest time, I couldn’t figure out what it was. A rogue marching band in the giraffe pen? A spontaneous flash mob by the flamingos?

It turns out, it’s the Canine Champions for Conservation dog show. Let’s just be cool and call it “the dog show.”

The show runs at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. every day but Tuesday, from now until Labor Day. It’s included with your Zoo admission. You can sniff out the details on the Zoo’s website.

I had never seen the dog show. But last week at Wines in the Wild, the Zoo’s big summertime bash, I saw the stars of the show — the dogs themselves — strutting past us like seasoned celebrities. Calm on their leashes, they walked gracefully, proudly, heads held high. Not a bark out of place. They looked positively noble.

What would it be like to see them in action? The answer came on a hot Monday morning.

We’re going in.

Cheese and Ripper

Two trainers lead the parade: Samantha Valle and Brandon Chin are the ringmasters of this four-legged circus. And I do mean circus. The show takes place in an actual ring, a classic Ringling setup not far from the big cats. (Yes, the dogs perform in earshot of the lions. Imagine Tiberius slavering.)

Ten minutes before the Monday morning show, the speakers were blaring “What Dreams Are Made Of.” About 50 people had gathered: kids in Bills outfits, infants in strollers, senior citizens, big families, and solo viewers with iced coffee and curiosity. I’ve passed by the dog show on weekends when it’s standing room only. But don’t worry — they can always squeeze in one more.

I claimed a spot high up on the bleachers, with a good view of the tent where the trainers prepped their canine cast. You could see tails wagging. The crowd rustled. Then the mic crackled.

“Do we have any dog lovers out there?” Brandon’s voice rang out like a starter pistol.

Kids screamed. Grownups cheered. A woman in a Bills hat woofed.

“The louder you are, the better the dogs perform!” Brandon barked. Challenge accepted!

While amping us up, he fed us facts: Did you know the Latin name for domestic dogs is Canis familiaris? That there are over 300 distinct dog breeds?

But before I could absorb the knowledge, it happened:

Rendezvous — a lean, focused, three-year-old Aussie mix — went airborne, chasing a Frisbee. I mean he launched heavenward. Not just up and out — up and over. The dog soared cleanly over Samantha’s head, snagged the disc mid-flight, and landed on her back, striking a pose.

I gasped. A kid near me dropped his juice box.

That was pretty dog-gone good!

The jump-rope jive

Once the show hit its groove, it didn’t stop. Trick followed trick, each one more improbable than the last. Dogs did an obstacle course, jumping through hoops and racing through tunnels. There was a High Jump contest. The pooches demonstrated their sniffing skills.

Then Brandon turned up the heat. “Samantha is the only person in the world to train dogs in this next move!”

Cue drum roll.

Out came a jump-rope.

That video helps explain why I was laughing too hard to take pictures.

And honestly? Photos wouldn’t do it justice. It reminded me of Wines in the Wild, when I tried to photograph Tiberius close up. As I raised my camera, a stranger behind me sighed: “You can’t capture it.”

She was right.

And the same goes for the dog show. You feel it more than you see it. The rhythm, the timing, the sheer joy of a dog hitting a perfect spin or nailing a back-flip to thunderous applause — that’s not something a snapshot can hold. It’s part circus, part pep rally, part pure craziness. Even the toddlers seemed to grasp that they were witnessing something completely bananas.

Living my dream

In about 20 minutes, it was over. The crowd deflated, gently, like a party balloon. It felt like that moment in “Mary Poppins” when they are all laughing on the ceiling with Uncle Albert — and then comes the solemn announcement: “It’s time to go home.”

Well, there is always another dog show.

And it’s never the same twice. A Zoo staffer told me later that the 3 p.m. show will be different from the 1 p.m. show, which is different from the 11 a.m. show. If you’re spending the day at the Zoo, you can circle back to the ring for another round — and another.

It’s a great throwback to the old days of the circus — the real-deal, Barnum and Bailey kind of show. As a kid, I remember brown bears in tutus, elephants perched on tiny stools, and, of course, the dog show. Back then, no one gave a little sermon about adopting rescue dogs. Otherwise, it was just like this.

My father told me that once, when I was little, he asked me what circus job I might enjoy.

He said I thought about it, and then said seriously: “I would like to train the dogs.”

After the Zoo show, I got to talk to Brandon, the guy living my dream. What struck me most was his attitude. Brandon treats his dogs like professionals, teammates, partners. There’s a quiet respect in the way he talks about them.

Did anything at the dog show ever go wrong? He laughed.

“Well, just today, there was that moment when Cheese just stopped and was looking for a treat,” he said.

I asked him if anything ever goes wrong during a show.

He laughed. “Well, just today, there was that moment when Cheese just stopped and was looking for a treat.”

God bless Cheese — a true performer of the people. Don’t we all have those moments? When we forget the cue and just stand there thinking: Wasn’t there supposed to be a snack?

Meet Brandon and Cheese.

And catch the dog show when you’re at the Zoo this summer. Bring your camera if you want. But don’t be surprised if you forget to use it.

Not to sound like a carnival barker, but you’ll be bow-wowwed.

Note from Mary: This is the corrected version of the story sent earlier today. The previous version accidentally included a couple of repeated paragraphs. Thank you for your understanding, and I hope you enjoy my latest Zoo adventure!

Further Reading

Mary Kunz Goldman is known in Buffalo for her long career with The Buffalo News, writing about classical music and authoring the long-running Buzz column as well as a popular series titled “100 Things Every Western New Yorker Should Do At Least Once.” She is the author of “Pennario,” a memoir about her friendship with the great concert pianist Leonard Pennario — and also “Sketches of Buffalo,” a book of drawings of her hometown, available at the Totally Buffalo Store.

Mary’s weekly feature “We’re Going In” celebrates curious adventures around town. Our previous “We’re Going In” column featured the Great Baehre Swamp. Before that, the series explored Mount Calvary Cemetery; also, a Goodwill madhouse known as “the bins”; a memorable Met opera simulcast; and a journey through the Junior League’s 2025 Decorators Show House.

Thanks to all who subscribe — paid, and free! To get a look at Mary’s complete online publication, click on MaryKunzGoldman.Substack.com.