2011 National Dog Show Round Up
November 30, 2011 by Beth
Filed under Dog Activities and Training, Featured Articles
This year’s National Dog Show featured nearly 2,000 dogs from 150 breeds. As it has been since 1933, the national show was hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, an affiliate of the American Kennel Club.
Best in Show Winner (Steven Donahue / See Spot Run Photography)
Presented by Purina, the show was actually held on November 19th and 20that the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA, although it wasn’t broadcast until Thanksgiving Day at noon, just after the Macy’s parade – a newish tradition for the holiday.
If you follow dog shows, you probably already know that a Wire Fox Terrier named Eira was the overall winner, named Best in Show. Her formal name is Ch. Steele Your Heart, and she is four years old. Eira (pronounced Ira) is a Welsh word meaning “snow”. This is her 17th Best in Show title, and she hopes to become only the third dog in history to win both the National Dog Show and Westminster in the same season. Handler Gabriel Rangel is no slouch, either, having shown the 2009 winner, Scottish Terrier Sadie. See the Best in Show judging in this video:
Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.
.
Group Winners
Among the Toy breeds, Affenpinscher GCH CH Banana Joe Van Tani Kazari took the honors as Best in Group. Banana Joe is just one of several winners bred by Tani Kazari Affenpincher Kennel in The Netherlands. In his first three months of showing, he won Best in Group 30 times and Best in Show 9 times. He is America’s top Affenpinscher and the 5th best toy in the country. He was shown in America by the Greenteam, under the leadership of Mrs. Tina Truesdale. He lives at Yarrows Kennel from Beth Sweigart.
In the Herding group, Australian Shepherd GCH CH Propwash Reckon was named Best in Group. Called Reckon by her friends, this beautiful dog is owned by Judy Harrington and Leslie Frank of Propwash Farm in Kensington, New Hampshire. Frank has been breeding Aussies for the past 44 years on her 45 acre farm, and was named the AKC Breeder of the Year in the herding category in 2010.
The winning Hound was a Whippet named GCH CH Starline’s Chanel, from Starline, LLC in Rancho Santa Fe, California. This dog is amazing! And she hasn’t even reached her fourth birthday yet. According to her family, Lori, Carey, Kyle, and Nicole Lawrence, “Chanel embodies all that we strive for here at Starline; beautiful type, smoothness, impeccable movement, and a superb disposition.” She has 60 All Breed Best in Shows, 241 Best in Groups, and has been the number one ranked Whippet for three years running.
Best in the Non-Sporting group was the Dalamatian, a happy dog named GCH CH Spotlight’s Ruffian from Spotlight Dalmatians in Ocala, Florida. Breeder Connie Wagner says “Ian has a wonderful headpiece with nice, dark eyes. He also is sweet and charming.” He was named the 2008 Dalmatian Club of America’s Best in Futurity Winner when he was 13-months old, after winning Best of Breed twice. According to the DCA, “Ian turned heads with his smooth, effortless side gait and outgoing attitude.”
For the Sporting Group, the English Springer Spaniel named GCH CH Cerise Tender Is the Night stole the show. Known more informally as Zelda, this wonderful dog comes from a long line of champions, starting with Cleo (Sierra Femme Fatale), who was left to Dorothy Cherry by her husband a week before he died. Cleo became the foundation stock for Dotti’s Cerise English Springer Spaniels in Sherman, Connecticut.
And finally, GCH CH Blumoon’s Tanzenite v Blackrock, a Bernese Mountain Dog was best in the Working group. “Tanner Banner”, as he is known, was born in 2006 at Blue Moon Bernese in Boulder, Colorado. He now lives with Dawn Cox in Hanover, PA, and has become the bull of their breeding stock, the only male in a family that includes Willow, Frieda, and Echo. Dawn says that Tanner is “so full of himself and truly believes that we, the humans, are here on earth just to adore him. (Which of course, we do.)”
What do the judges look for?
Did you ever wonder what it would be like to have to choose between so many beautiful dogs? NBC Sports’ David Frei says it involves being both an “art critic and a bit of an engineer”.