IMHO – Questions Answered by Experienced WKC Judges

By Elaine Lessig

This month, in honor of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, three icons of the judging community share their unique perspectives and experiences from the first time they judged breeds, to the times they judged groups, and even Best In Show. How did they feel? What were they thinking? What makes it all so memorable? Here are their thoughts and recollections.

BETTY-ANNE STENMARK · AKC JUDGE

How is judging at Westminster Kennel Club different from judging other dog shows?

When I judged there the first time–in 1992 I think–I was en- trusted with four terrier breeds. As I walked into that ring I can remember looking out on the specta- tors scrambling for those few ringside seats and thinking to my- self that’s this was probably the most knowledgeable audience who’d ever watched me judge. While I preach that it’s still just a dog show and you have a job to do, there really isn’t another show quite like it. The expectations of exhibitors, the importance of that win, there is a lot of subtle pressure attached to the assignment.

What has been your most special judging experience at Westminster Kennel Club?

Obviously that would be my 2018 assignment, Best In Show. I’ve had some great breed assignments through the years, and a Terrier Group and two Hound Groups. I have been very lucky to be included 11 times but none prepared me for all that goes with judging Best In Show at Westminster. It is the pinnacle of our sport, 142 years of history. In addition to actually judging Best In Show, there is so much more to the assignment than judging seven dogs.

This year I was accompanied for three days by two different film crews, one from Netflix original programming and the other from FoxSports TV. I’ve done some TV work before but nothing like this. The Westminster episode led the new Netflix series known as “Seven Days Out…” and I thought they did a good job of portraying our sport in a positive light. The FoxSports program was a documentary named “The Road to Westminster,” this was their second year and they too did well for us. The Netflix folks greeted our limousine arriving at the hotel. I’d been up since 3 a.m. in California and was feeling like a worn traveler; they rode up the elevator with us, came into our suite and then asked if they could film me opening a suitcase, which I declined. Darn good thing as it was upside down on the bed and opening it all the contents spilled out.

Click the link below to read more from BETTY-ANNE STENMARK, AKC Judge TERRY STACY, and AKC Judge KAREN WILSON.

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Posted by Alex on Feb 26 2019. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.