Keeping It Fresh – Talking to the WKC Group Winners

Compiled by Joan Harrigan
Photos by Lisa Croft-Elliott

A well-respected judge once said “a ‘show dog’ is not a breed.” Very true—to win, a dog should first fit the breed standard. If he doesn’t, how well he shows should not be relevant. However, it is undeniable that once in the ring, the dog does need to show. Nowhere is this more important than at a show on the scale of Westminster, where the best compete against the best.

Owners and handlers face a challenge—keeping a show dog interested and engaged every time he enters the ring. With the staggering number of AKC conformation shows each year and the popularity of four and five-day clusters, (sometimes with two shows on a single day), this is not an easy task. It requires a willing dog, a perceptive handler, and a bond between the two.

When “Lucy” (GCHG. Belisarius JP My Sassy Girl) entered the WKC Hound Group ring on Monday night, it wasn’t for the first time. Lucy came to handler Valerie Nunes-Atkinson of Temecula, California after a show career in her native Japan, where she was the top dog amongst all breeds. She was Reserve Best in Show at Westminster in 2016, and placed fourth in the group last year. Along the way, she became the top winning Borzoi in AKC history, with 41 all-breed Bests in Show and a national specialty win.

Nunes-Atkinson points out that Lucy’s breed is very much dominated by males, and it is truly extraordinary to find a bitch of her quality—“she just screams ‘type,’” she says. As to how she keeps Lucy fresh and engaged every time she enters the ring, Nunes-Atkinson says that, “it is mostly just love and attention and great conditioning.”

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Posted by Alex on Mar 30 2018. Filed under Current Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.