Hounds and their handlers will make the Decatur County Fairgrounds their own this weekend in preparation for the 2008 American Kennel Club National Coonhound Championship.

According to event organizer and executive field representative Jerry Moll, the hunt will begin late Thursday evening and continue until Saturday.

More than 200 dogs from all over the United States have ventured to Greensburg in anticipation of the nationwide contest in hopes that they will come away with the top prize, even though their handlers are the ones who will receive them. This year’s first place finisher will win a brand new Chevrolet Remington truck.

“The truck has been on display for the last month at Tom Sibbit Chevrolet in Greensburg,” Moll said. “They’ve been very generous to us.”

While the hounds are likely not excited about winning the truck, they are anxious to finally hunt the raccoons. The dogs at the contest are the best of the best, according to Moll.

“There are four ways to qualify,” he said. “ They can be the top 16 in their state, the top 16 in their breed, the top 16 from the young competitions or the top 16 from the Black Gold – Gold Medal.”

The contest is a three-day event that will culminate at approximately midnight on Saturday, when the champion is crowned. To get to the final round, the handlers will see their competition dwindle throughout the contest. Four dogs, accompanied by their handlers, will travel together with one judge and one guide. Their performances will be scored on their trailing accuracy, their speed and treeing. Treeing happens when a coonhound sits at the base of a tree and barks upwards, alerting his owner of the raccoon’s presence.

The event may seem dangerous for the small animals, but Moll assures that every thing is handled professionally.

“No raccoons are killed or hurt during this,” he explained.

Despite the somewhat rainy forecast, Moll assured his colleagues and participants that the coon hunt will go on.

“The rainy weather just makes the hunters wet,” he said. “The dogs like it because it cools them down. There’s no such thing as calling the hunt off.”

In collaboration with Steve Fielder, the head of the Coonhound Division for AKC, and Melanie Maxwell, the director of Decatur County tourism, Moll was able to bring the coonhound championship to Greensburg.

“We liked it so well when we were here last October, we decided to come back,” Moll explained.

He went on to say that there is a good chance the coon hunt tournaments will return to the city in May 2009, but nothing had been determined.

All of the participants in the top 16 at the end of the hunt will be awarded cash prizes. Second place will receive $6,500, third place will get $3,750 and fourth place will receive $2,500. The rest in the top 16 wil get a cash prize of $500.