Among the contenders that have a good chance of standing in the Best In Show ring the evening of Feb. 10 are a few breeds that aren’t your everyday dog on the street. The No. 2 all-breed dog, a Giant Schnauzer named Ch. Galilee’s Pure of Spirit, has claimed 38 BIS wins and 75 Group Firsts.
Brussels Griffon Ch. Cilleine Masquerade, “Lincoln”, is ranked fourth among all breeds. He is the top-winning Brussels Griffon of all time. In a breed in which most top-winning breed Champions have rough coats, the fact that Lincoln is a smooth is both unexpected and fabulous, says Brussels Griffon breeder Sharon Sakson (Paris Brussels Griffons in Princeton, N.J.), who has bred more than a dozen Champions and is the author of “Brussels Griffons: A Complete Owners Guide” (Barron’s Educational Series, 2007).“He was Group 2 at Westminster last year,” Sakson says. “We were all holding our breaths because it looked like he was going to win the Group. It would have been the first Westminster Group win for a Griff since 1985, when Bruce Owen’s Ch. Berryhill Gandalf won it. He deserves to win the Group and BIS. He is the best Griff this country has ever seen, a perfect specimen of our breed."
Other top-winning dogs of lesser-known breeds to keep an eye on (as of press time) are Sealyham Terrier Ch. Efbe’s Hidalgo At Goodspice, No. 5 all breeds and BIS winner at the 2008 World Dog Show; Affenpinscher Ch. Tamarin Tug, No. 6 all breeds; Harrier Ch. Downhome Family Tradition, No. 9 all breeds; and Scottish Deerhound Ch. Jaraluv Ouija, No. 10 all breeds.
Rounding out the top-winning dogs likely to make an appearance at Westminster (as of press time) are Standard Poodle Ch. Randenn Tristar Affirmation, No. 3 all breeds; Scottish Terrier Ch. Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot, No. 7 all breeds; and Pembroke Welsh Corgi Ch. Coventry Vanity Fair, No. 8 all breeds.Best In Show Judging
Who will make the decision should any of these dogs make it to the BIS ring? Sari Brewster Tietjen of Rhinebeck, N.Y., who has been “in dogs” since childhood, has bred, raised, and showed more than 14 different breeds. She has judged dogs for more than 40 years. As someone who grew up in the sport of showing dogs, and has attended more Westminster shows than she cares to count, Tietjen was thrilled and deeply honored when she was asked in March 2007 to judge BIS for the 2009 competition. How does one prepare for that kind of judging assignment?
“Pray a lot!” says Tietjen, who has judged breeds and Groups at Westminster nine times previously, including last year’s Toy Group. “Seriously, at that level, you know you are going to have some beautiful dogs in the ring. You have to keep your wits about you, evaluate each dog against its breed standard, and then how it measures up against the other dogs in the ring. I expect it will be a very close, very difficult, and very challenging assignment, but one that I will treasure for the rest of my life.”
Who will make the decision should any of these dogs make it to the BIS ring? Sari Brewster Tietjen of Rhinebeck, N.Y., who has been “in dogs” since childhood, has bred, raised, and showed more than 14 different breeds. She has judged dogs for more than 40 years. As someone who grew up in the sport of showing dogs, and has attended more Westminster shows than she cares to count, Tietjen was thrilled and deeply honored when she was asked in March 2007 to judge BIS for the 2009 competition. How does one prepare for that kind of judging assignment?
“Pray a lot!” says Tietjen, who has judged breeds and Groups at Westminster nine times previously, including last year’s Toy Group. “Seriously, at that level, you know you are going to have some beautiful dogs in the ring. You have to keep your wits about you, evaluate each dog against its breed standard, and then how it measures up against the other dogs in the ring. I expect it will be a very close, very difficult, and very challenging assignment, but one that I will treasure for the rest of my life.”
