Ch. Slumber – The OES That Conquered Westminster!

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282 – May, 2023

By Amy Fernandez

Herding breeds represented a serious competitive threat long before they were assembled into an actual Herding Group. They flew under the radar thanks to their ever-shifting designation within AKC. For example, for years AKC dithered over their varying criteria for group alignment and eligibility. As a result, many breeds bounced into almost ludicrous competitive circumstances. Judging Saints against Chihuahuas, really? Like most parts of AKC, it was a work in progress. However, that lack of a cohesive identity explained the fancy’s collective astonishment when the Old English Sheepdog, Ch. Slumber, went all the way to Best In Show at Westminster in 1914.

Westminster is justifiably famous for its unpredictable outcomes but that upset was off the charts, as noted by the New York Tribune on February 26, 1914. “For the first time in the history of the Westminster Show, the coveted Spratts Trophy for the best dog of any breed age or sex went to an Old English sheepdog, Mrs. Tyler Morses’s Champion Slumber.”

Ch. Slumber was 4½ years old and this was her third time competing at Westminster. She’d won Best Non-Sporting Dog in 1912 and placed first in the Winners class for her breed the next year. Bred in England by Mr. Palfrey, Mrs. Morse had purchased her from Britain’s Weather Kennels in 1911.

Click here to read the complete article
282 – May, 2023

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Posted by AnthonyA on May 15 2023. 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.