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Although most people have learned by now that a Sussex spaniel named Stump has won yesterday's 2009 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square, many might not know the arduous path each dog takes to make it to this prestigious event, often referred to as America's Number One Dog Show.
In addition to long and arduous hours of training, many of the 2500 dogs entered in the event have competed in dozens of events prior to this year's show in order to accumulate enough points to become qualified to participate. What they usually means is that before competing in New York City each dog needs to win an official AKC Best of Breed competition elsewhere, which often means numerous attempts and numerous shows. The Top Five dogs (AKC Champions) in breed standings in a given year are invited to pre-enter in advance of the regular closing date, while the rest must go from show to show until they capture a WKC championship.
The Best of Breed competition, such as the Tibetan Mastiff one pictured above, pits the pre-qualified dogs in a head to toe competition against each other in a series of tests in order to determine the champion. First the dogs enter the ring and are assembled in a line and are evaluated by a single (highly qualified) lone judge, who assesses their stature and proportionality. They circle the ring as a group and are then each are summoned to one end of the ring to be evaluated individually. Judges at AKC shows assess the overall health of the dog and then observe the dog in motion to see if the dog presents the classic posture and gait that is characteristic of that particular breed.
In examining a traditional Bullmastiff, for example, a working dog which was originally bred and trained to deter poaching on large estates in England, one is looking for a certain "squareness" in its overall sturdy build. The Siberian Husky is known to be the fastest, most enduring, and versatile of purebred sled dogs, and is capable of running marathon distances that few if any other breeds of dog could manage. The movement of each dog is evaluated in the end in regard to the purpose for which it was bred. Thus the Siberian Husky's gait during the show should correlate directly to its long-distance running tradition.
Each of the finalist at this years show— Smash JP Moon Walk, Spirit, Tiger Woods, Field of Dreams (Pulli), Sadie, Masquerade, and the champion Stump, made it to the finals in the competition because they exhibited the health, beauty, movement, and character of the prototypical breed they represent better than any other dog in their particular category.
Tags:
2009 west minster kennel club dog show, akc, field of dreams, madison square garden, sadie, smash jp moon walk, spirit, stump, tiger woods
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Posted on 2/11/2009
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