2019 Westminster Wrap-up; King the wire fox terrier named Best in Show -

What began with over 2,800 dogs competing in the 2019 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, culminated last Tuesday with the crowning of the Best in Show. Fittingly, a wire fox terrier named “King” (GCHB CH Kingarthur Van Foliny Home) took home the crown. It was the 15th time in the show’s history that the breed had been named top dog. It also continued the dominance for terriers overall as they have won Best in Show 45 times since 1907 — out of a total of 103.

Bono (GCHG CH Oeste’s In The Name Of Love), a Havanese from the Toy Group, named after the singer from U2, won Reserve Best In Show.

The Best in Show round consisted of six dogs, whittled down from 192 breed winners. Normally all seven winners of the Best in Breed compete in the finals but the winner of the non-sporting group, a Schipperke named Colton, was deemed ineligible because of a conflict of interest. Colton’s handler Christa Cook explained in a Facebook post that one of Colton’s owners has a “distant working relationship” with this year’s best in show judge, Peter Green. Despite not competing in the final round, Colton was trotted around the ring to a round of applause before the judging began.

THE WINNERS AT A GLANCE

2019 Best In Show
Name: GCHB CH Kingarthur Van Foliny Home
Breed: Fox Terriers (Wire)
DOB: 10/01/11
Breeder: R De Munter & D Uiterwijk
Owner: Victor Malzoni Jr
Sire: Crispy Legacy | Dam: Ginagee Van Foliny Home

2019 Reserve Best In Show
Name: GCHG CH Oeste’s In The Name Of Love
Breed: Havanese
DOB: 7/23/16
Breeder: Mary E King & Rafe H Schindler & Julie Vogel & Taffe McFadden
Owner: Mary E King & Rafe H Schindler & Julie Vogel & Taffe McFadden
Sire: CH Oeste’s Top Gun | Dam: GCH Oeste’s Stealing The Starlight

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MY THOUGHTS ON THE SHOW

It was thrilling for me to have my dog win a Best of Opposite award at Westminster (explanation from Wikipedia is below). Slugger really showed beautifully. He also had quite the cheering squad! The Chihuahuas entered this year were the most beautiful I have ever seen. I am proud of our breed and all the hard work everyone does.

The attendance at the piers was great. And they have added more seating so the venue is more comfortable. They even opened up more bathrooms which was very necessary. There were more concessions and food choices in general.

There are some new young judges around which is nice for competition. Our judge really took her time to look at each dog thoroughly before making her final picks.

The number of entries was strong, a good sign that dog shows remain popular, the evening show at the garden was packed both nights. I don’t think I have ever seen the show so well attended. The media coverage really helped to get more people involved.

I hope people see that the dogs at the show are having fun. They enjoy the attention and are very pampered. Slugger loves the atmosphere, he works the crowd and makes sure everyone sees him. He struts his stuff and then goes into play mode, he just never gets tired.

WHAT IS BEST OF BREED & BEST OF OPPOSITE? [source]

“Each breed or variety is divided into classes based on sex and age. Dogs (males) are judged first, in their age classes. Within one breed, there are puppies (dogs under a certain age), mature male dogs (subdivided by age into junior, limit (or intermediate) and open); bitches (female dogs) have corresponding classes. At some events, usually single-breed or novelty shows, there may be a baby puppy class (typically under three months old) which is usually contested after the adult classes as a ploy to keep spectators interested. Baby puppies are not eligible for Best of Breed and are judged largely on their ‘cuteness’ factor, as young puppies from many breeds look very much alike and their conformation to their breed’s Standard is most likely not yet evident.

The winners of all classes in each sex compete for Challenge Dog and Challenge Bitch; the individuals who will challenge each other for the accolade Best of Breed. (In AKC shows, these dogs are referred to as Winners Dog and Winners Bitch.) The remaining class winners are joined by the runner-up from the class from which the challenge winner was selected and there are competitions for second place in each sex division, called Reserve Challenge Dog and Reserve Challenge Bitch. (In AKC shows, these are called Reserve Winners Dog and Reserve Winners Bitch, but they do not advance further.). This is for fairness, as one class may contain a stronger field of specimens of the breed. If the judge believes that this is the case, the Challenge Dog and Reserve Challenge Dog, for example, may both be from the same class.

Congratulations, Connie, Jessy, and of course SLUGGER!!! Best of Opposite at Westminster! What a wonderful achievement.

From the two finalists (Challenge Dog and Challenge Bitch) is selected Best of Breed. The runner-up is deemed Best of Opposite Sex. There is then a run-off in which the second best individual in the sex division of the winner (the Reserve Challenge from the same sex division as the BOB) is brought back to stand against the Best of Opposite Sex (the Challenge who did not win) for the title of Runner-up to Best of Breed. So, if for example the Best of Breed is the Challenge Bitch, the Runner-up to Best of Breed may be the Challenge Dog or the Reserve Challenge Bitch if, in the judge’s opinion, the competing bitches were superior to the competing dogs.

In AKC shows, dogs that have already earned their championships are generally not judged as part of the class competition (unless a dog attained championship after it was entered), so Winners Dog and Winners Bitch are typically non-champions. Winners Dog and Bitch are judged against all entered champions for Best of Breed. During this competition, Best of Winners (the better of Winners Dog or Winners Bitch) is chosen, as well as Best Opposite Sex (the best dog of the sex opposite to the Best of Breed).

In some breeds, the males and females of the breed have decidedly different appearances, and it is often the males who have the quintessential look of the breed (females may be smaller, have less ‘coat’ and feminine or less pronounced features. The judge must set personal preference aside and decide objectively whether the bitch is a better example of the female of the breed than the dog is an example of the male.”

WHILE IN NEW YORK…

It looked like everyone attending and exhibiting enjoyed NYC. Lots of Facebook posts showed Times Square as a favorite destination. We had some delicious meals with friends and family. I recommend Cosme on E 21st Street for excellent Mexican cuisine. We also enjoyed the bar menu at Eleven Madison Park on Madison Avenue. Nomad on 2nd Ave is amazing if you like Moroccan food. The baked chicken for two is a must! Manhatta Restaurant on Liberty Street had spectacular views of Manhattan and great food as well.

All and all a terrific time for us. Best in Show was exciting as always and the wire fox terrier was stunning. Congratulations to all the winners. I am already looking forward to next year!

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BEST IN SHOW FINALISTS

(Herding Group) Baby Lars the bouvier des Flandres
(Hound Group) Burns the longhaired Dachshund
(Sporting Group) Bean the Sussex spaniel
(Terrier Group) King the wire fox terrier
(Toy Group) Bono the Havanese
(Working Group) Wilma the boxer

GROUP RESULTS (placement, name, breed)

Hound Group
1st: GCHP DC Walmar-Solo’s OMG SL JE | Dachshunds (Longhaired)
2nd: GCHB CH Pinnacle Kentucky Bourbon | Whippets
3rd: GCHP CH Gwencalon’s Tam O’Shanter | Beagles, Over 13 In. But Not Exceeding 15 In.
4th: CH Dark Moon’s Black Tri Affair | Basenjis

Toy Group
1st: GCHG CH Oeste’s In The Name Of Love | Havanese
2nd: GCHP CH Hill Country’s Puttin’ On The Ritz | Pugs
3rd: GCHP CH Karma’s Promise Key-Per | Yorkshire Terriers
4th: GCH CH Peri’s Big Shot | English Toy Spaniels (Blenheim & Prince Charles)

Non-Sporting Group
1st: GCHP CH Rivendel’s Barefoot Bandit | Schipperkes
2nd: GCHP CH Le Petit Prince De La Bete | French Bulldogs
3rd: GCHB CH Flamingstar The Lion King | Chow Chows
4th: GCHG CH Stone Run Afternoon Tea | Poodles (Standard)

Herding Group
1st: GCHS CH Quiche’s Major League | Bouviers des Flandres
2nd: GCHP2 CH Majestic Elite Clever Endeavor PT | Border Collies
3rd: GCHG CH Marquis’ Hermes V Kenlyn | German Shepherd Dogs
4th: GCHG CH Bugaboo’s Let It Go Blu Mtn | Old English Sheepdogs

Sporting Group
1st: GCHS CH Kamand’s Full Of Beans @ Erinhill | Spaniels (Sussex)
2nd: GCHP CH Militza’s My Cherie Amour | Setters (Irish)
3rd: GCHS CH Carolina’s Running With The Hare BN RN SH JHR CGC | Spaniels (American Water)
4th: GCHP CH Clerwood Silhouette Speed Of Light | Spaniels (Cocker) Black

Working Group
1st: GCHP CH Cinnibon’s Bedrock Bombshell | Boxers
2nd: GCHP CH Sharin Nick Of Dynasty RC Kennel | Siberian Huskies
3rd: GCHB CH Ederra’s Glacier The Power Of Mo’ne | Kuvaszok
4th: GCHP CH Foxfire’s Alltimate Wanna Be | Doberman Pinschers

Terrier Group
1st: GCHB CH Kingarthur Van Foliny Home | Fox Terriers (Wire)
2nd: GCHS CH Alpine’s LBK Living On The Road DS CGC TKN | American Staffordshire Terriers
3rd: CH Juger Edelweiss Prince Lionheart | Skye Terriers
4th: GCHS CH J’Adores Stanley Cup Toews At Raelyn | Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers

◀Slugger Ready to Take a Swing at Westminster

Labrador Retriever Most Popular Breed Once Again▶