The 2016 Westminster KC Judging Panel
Dr. Richard Meen of Toronto has been selected to judge Best In Show at the 140th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show February 15-16, 2016.
Home » Editorial
You are browsing entries filed in “Editorial”
OUTBREAK!
We have seen it on the evening news, read about it on Facebook and talked about it with our friends. Sorting out the “real” information about the Canine Influenza outbreak and being well-informed is the first step toward effective stewardship of the health of our treasured companions.
Our Cover Story – DUCATI
Multiple best in show winning · platinum grand champion
MBIS/MBISS GCh. Raydachs Ride My Ducati SW
Sporting Dogs In Art
Dogs in paintings run, play, follow the prey, take care of their puppies and look at us.
Such paintings are indispensable for unraveling the history of dogs.
Two Breeds Debut at Westminster 2015
Each year, breeds newly recognized by the AKC bring a special energy to Westminster. There are television appearances with David Frei, press interviews, and the chance to make breed history as the first to take Best of Breed honors at the Garden.
This year, the Non-Sporting and Sporting Groups each added a new breed to its roster. Though the Coton de Tulear and Wirehaired Vizsla couldn’t be more dissimilar, each generated excitement and interest in the benching area. It’s hard to resist the snowy white coat and onyx eyes of the Coton, or the Wirehaired Vizsla’s tousled coat and whiskers.
Tales from the Piers
“Blizzard warning! Prepare to end travel!” Flashing orange highway signs spurred drivers from the Midwest and Northeast racing to stay ahead of Winter Storm Neptune on their way to New York City. “Cancelled. Cancelled. Cancelled.” Airport departure boards all around the country lit up as Winter Storm Octavia, sweeping from the West across the South, added her efforts to Neptune’s. Westminster’s mid-February dates make snow, ice, wind, sub-zero temperatures, and travel challenges part of the show’s grand tradition. Veterans are as adept at rescheduling winter travel as they are at showing dogs. Westminster has never been for the faint of heart.
Still Winners!
What Happens After Westminster?
Being crowned Best In Show at Westminster is usually the pinnacle of a show dog’s career. It’s like winning an Oscar. You are an instant celebrity, and everyone wants a piece of you. You and your exhausted but exalted entourage make the round of morning talk shows; open the Stock Market on Wall Street; dine at Sardi’s. But after the Oscars, actors just go on to their next roles. What happens to their canine counterparts, many of whom are still quite young when they leave the limelight? As it turns out, they’re still winners.
Start with Why?
We all read with profound sadness articles recounting the loss of Jagger, the Irish Setter, after the Crufts Dog Show. It struck particularly close to home because I breed, own and love Irish Setters. My life has been shared with these beautiful dogs since eighth grade. Having bred and shown them since 1984 under the Rumraisin prefix they have won best in show, national specialties, obedience, field and performance titles. It is difficult to read about any dog getting poisoned. When you read about a dog of your beloved breed arriving home and dying after competing in a show as prestigious as Crufts, it gets personal.
