Best in Show!

At last, it was time...the crowning of the one and only Best in Show.

Actually, it wasn't quite time yet. First, the top Sporting, Toy, and Working dogs had to be crowned. I missed the Sporting group because I was backstage with a certain Akita, but a Weimaraner named Marge won--a dark horse! (People always think they know who will win based on how dogs have been ranked in the previous show season.)

Next, the Working group thundered into the ring, and guess who took the win? Yes, the incredible Champion Redwitch Reason to Believe (aka Macey), the Akita we've been getting to know, handled by the talented and personable Laurie Jordan-Fenner! Great job, Macey and Laurie!




Next up, the Toys. We had a strong suspicion the number-one dog in the country, pretty Toy Poodle Champion Smash JP Win a Victory (aka Vikki), would simply have to win. We spent some time backstage with her as Handler of the Year Kaz Hosaka groomed his delicate little flower. She won. Of course she did.






Finally, it was time for the Best in Show. The crowd buzzed in anticipation, and then seven magnificent dogs trotted into the ring, true professionals showing not a kibble's worth of nerves: a Beagle, a Standard Poodle, an Australian Shepherd, a Sealyham Terrier, a Weimaraner, an Akita, and a Toy Poodle. Dr. J. Donald Jones presided over the impressive group, and after much deliberation, he pointed to Champion K-Run's Park Me in First. You know him as Uno, the first Beagle ever to win the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show! We were thrilled, and the crowd went wild! (You'll see why we were so thrilled when you read the June issue of Dog Fancy.) It was over! The greatest dog show on earth. Another year, another hefty set of memories. Uno, the world has fallen in love with you!





Tuesday's winner round-up:

Best Sporting: Weimaraner Ch Colsidex Seabreeze Perfect Fit (Marge)
Best Working: Akita Ch Redwitch Reason To Believe (Macey)
Best Toy: Toy Poodle Ch Smash JP Win A Victory (Vikki)
Best in Show: 15-inch Beagle Ch K-Run’s Park Me In First (our boy Uno!)

After such an exciting evening, a lot of our friends were exhuasted, but Ben and I couldn't quite see going straight home to bed. We said goodbye to Nikki and Caroline and Annamaria, who headed back. Then we went out. (Us? Really? Go out? I know, typical.) We knew most of the dog show party-ers would go over to the bar outside the Affinia hotel, just across the street, so we headed there, too. It's become an annual tradition.

We enjoyed drinks and chatted with other dog show people. John Woodring, one of Uno's owners, came into the bar and chatted with us for awhile about, then said we could put our drinks on Uno's tab. Thanks, John, you rock! I think you'll love the story in Dog Fancy.

As the night wore on, I hate to admit this, but I even finished off the appetizers the woman next to me couldn't finish. Hey, she offered them to me. And I was hungry. And she was really nice!

This is a strange shot of the lighting in the Affinia bar:

Finally, we headed back home, knowing we didn't want to waste tomorrow. Instead of following the winning dog around on his media blitz the next morning (like we did for last year's story), this year we planned an entire day in New York...that had nothing to do with dogs. (Gasp!)

But first, a tribute to Best in Show... (see next post, above)