{"id":197615,"date":"2026-09-05T20:45:37","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T20:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/197615\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T20:45:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T20:45:37","slug":"superdogs-lap-up-the-love-50-years-after-being-unleashed-on-adoring-fans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/197615\/","title":{"rendered":"SuperDogs lap up the love, 50 years after being unleashed on adoring fans"},"content":{"rendered":"

VANCOUVER \u2014 Lisa Sun recalls watching the SuperDogs at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver as many times as she could as a kid, delighting in the performers\u2019 speed, skill and comic relief.<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s Sun and her three pugs, Mario, Luigi and Yoshi, who are entertaining crowds at the fair, 50 years after it hosted the first SuperDogs show.<\/p>\n

Their role? \u201cDefinitely comedy,\u201d Sun said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they come out onstage, people know they\u2019re not going to be the fastest\u2026. But you know what? They have personality, they have character.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sun\u2019s pugs wear sparkly pink bandanas as they perform their tricks. They twirl left and right in unison, and stand on their hind legs to give each other what she calls a \u201cpug hug.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pugs are among hundreds of canines from across Canada, many of them rescues from humane societies and animal shelters, that have been part of the SuperDogs shows, which are also held at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto.<\/p>\n

While some trainers and their dogs travel for shows, most are local and return to their family homes each night after delighting crowds that can number in the thousands.<\/p>\n

David Acer, a writer and host for the show in Vancouver, describes SuperDogs as \u201cpure joy from beginning to end,\u201d helping fans let their troubles go for a moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really among the only entertainment I\u2019ve been a part of where I can look in the stands and see a five-year-old, a 20-year-old and a 70-year-old all laughing at the same thing,\u201d he said following a SuperDogs performance on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think every generation is feeling the pressure and the stress of the current climate, and this is an opportunity for them to come and not feel that together.\u201d<\/p>\n

SuperDogs lore tells of the show\u2019s beginnings at the PNE in August 1976, when Herb Williams, a former teacher and advertising executive-turned entertainer, recruited a handful of dogs to perform tricks for fairgoers in a parking lot.<\/p>\n

Fifty years later, SuperDogs holds three shows a day for audiences at the PNE and the CNE. The two fairs close on Monday.<\/p>\n

The shows feature dogs small and large racing, catching Frisbees, leaping over hurdles, and weaving in and out of obstacles. Afterwards, the audience is invited to \u201cpat and chat,\u201d an opportunity to meet the dogs and their trainers.<\/p>\n

Acer said the canine performers are all \u201csuper\u201d in different ways. <\/p>\n

\u201cSome of them are super athletic, some of them are super smart, some of them are super cute, some of them are super fast,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe actually think every dog is a super dog, so if you have a dog at time, (there\u2019s) something that makes them super too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, certain dogs have exuded stand-out star power, landing them in the inaugural \u201cPaws of Fame\u201d class to mark the 50th anniversary of SuperDogs.<\/p>\n

They include the \u201cslowest SuperDog ever,\u201d an English bulldog named Pot Roast who performed between 1992 and 1998, and Demolition Derby, an old English sheepdog described as \u201ca big, lovable buffoon who introduced true comedy\u201d to the show.<\/p>\n

Sun\u2019s first-generation trio of pugs, Snap, Crackle and Pop, were also among the 20 honourees, along with Flint, a collie who also served as a search-and-rescue dog with the Calgary Fire Department.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s gratifying \u201cknowing how many hearts melt when they see these pug faces and how much joy they bring,\u201d said Sun, who has worked with SuperDogs for 15 years.<\/p>\n

Sun said the show offers a lighthearted distraction and a break from everyday worries, inspiring cheers and laughs from generations of fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor that half hour you\u2019re sitting in the audience, you\u2019re not thinking about anything else but watching the dogs do their comedy, do their athleticism, do their Frisbee playing, do their dancing onstage, their racing relays,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a blessing to be on the other side now,\u201d Sun added. \u201cRunning with the dogs, on the stage, doing the thing that I used to love to watch as a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sun said dog owners shouldn\u2019t underestimate their own canine companions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways look at the dog in front of you,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re each individuals that can learn so many things.\u201d<\/p>\n

The website for the group Suite Melody Care, which brings young musicians into hospitals and care homes, lists Williams, who is in his 90s and lives in Ontario, as one of its directors. He made his final SuperDogs appearance in 2012.<\/p>\n

The site says Williams and his SuperDogs entertained audiences that have included British royals and celebrities such as Joan Rivers and Luciano Pavarotti.<\/p>\n

After the PNE and CNE close, the SuperDogs will be at fall fairs in Burns Lake, B.C.; Rock Creek, B.C.; Uxbridge, Ont.; and at a dog-focused event in Newmarket, Ont.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Acer said SuperDogs encourages people to love their dogs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf people go home after seeing a SuperDogs show and give their dog one more hug, one more treat, throw a Frisbee for them, it\u2019s a win for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

Add CityNews Toronto as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.<\/p>\n

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