Looking Around with Lee

by Lee Canalizo

So…recently while musing through the requisite reading of doggie headlines… my eye caught a snippet on The Canine Chronicle website announcing a new date and location for the “Eukanuba World Challenge”. Of course, many of you (readers) will fondly remember this as the wildly successful and unique international competition of over 40 of the world’s top show dogs all together in one place, at one time. The original architects of this competition were some visionaries at Eukanuba, the AKC and the FCI…who had to come together and try to pull it off the right way. To say they accomplished that objective would be an understatement. The World Challenge was an instant success and with each subsequent year grew into an amazing event with panache, drama and some of the world’s best dogs brought to our shores. The impact of the “Parade of Flags” when each representative was announced into the ring was thrilling beyond words. The pride of the winners, the tears, the music, the standing ovations…was all just flat out spectacular!

The inaugural event was hosted by the AKC National Championship in Long Beach, California in 2007. It would remain a fixture with the AKC National Championship for seven years. In 2014 it moved to an event in Europe when the Eukanuba brand was divided into two separate entities. According to the law, it was now no longer one company!

I enjoyed all the glamour that event brought to the show. During those years I was the “Hostess with the Mostest” in The Canine Chronicle’s VIP Lounge which they sponsor every year at the AKC National Championship. I would meet so many world famous judges and dignitaries from around the globe. There were so many of my judge friends that I frequently judged shows with together. All of the best minds in the dog world attended this show, either as judges or as an AKC official. It was no secret that Ron Menaker, the show chairman for the AENC, being the international traveler he was, had a flair for finding those with strong backgrounds in the sport to adjudicate this show.

I look back at how it impacted me personally. I was judging some Herding Breeds at the AENC–the first year the World Challenge was held–and was knocked out by a spectacular Puli class bitch that I would carry all the way to Best of Breed. I innocently thought I was making some fabulous discovery in finding such a gem in the classes only to have Michael chuckle as I shared my excitement with as he dropped the word that she was the Top Dog in Australia. She was here for the World Challenge and it was her first show ever in the USA. Well, my Anne Clark moment evaporated. For all who might be lost on that comment, Anne was one who could find a great one long before their greatness would be realized. Over the years some judges would figure out why some class dogs were standouts while others never never developed those talents.

Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=110031

Posted by Alex on Aug 19 2016. 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.