My World, Welcome To It…

…wipe your paws before enterin'.

UPDATE: One of our Blogroll friends is at Westminster. Hope Miss Diva acquitted herself well. We'll be lookin' for ya' in the Hound Group tonight, babe.

Terriers Rule at Westminster Dog Show

And you're surprised--why?

"[W]hen it comes to the most popular breeds in the nation, almost all of them are in the Westminster doghouse. Dalmations, labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, beagles, Dachshunds - none of them have ever taken the coveted best in show title at America's most prestigious canine event.

"Instead, it's those terriers - wire fox terriers, smooth fox terriers, Norwich terriers, Scottish terriers and Kerry blue terriers. Overall, they've won 43 of 96 times. "They're just such showy dogs," said Jackie Thatcher, who brought her wire fox from Texas to Madison Square Garden. "They just say, 'Look at me!'"

"For sure, some dogs do seem to show up better than others on the green carpet. And before Greg Louganis, Glenn Close and the first sellout crowd in Westminster history, toy dogs did well during the early competition, making them a favorite for the sterling silver bowl Tuesday night.

Toys are toys and we terriers treat them like--well--toys--of the squeaky variety. When one comes to visit, AHM tries to con us by sayin' they're just puppies. Suuuurrre they are.

"A pert Pomeranian co-owned by Bill Cosby breezed in best of breed. Perched on one leg, Wicked Mean-N-Nasty's bright eyes lit up when he was picked. "He's just an awesome dog," said handler Bill McFadden, who won best in show with a Kerry blue two years ago. "He asked for it."

I'll bet he did. Toys dogs are almost as irritatin' as Demo-cats. Always askin' for it then whinin' like babies when we terriers give it to 'em.

Dr. Cosby used to have a terrier we hated seein' in the Group Ring. Talk about butt kissin'. Like everyone--includin' the judge--didn't know who owned the little sucker? Yeah--right. Glad to see he's decided to move to the Toy Group.

[NOTE: Mr. Wicked Mean-N-Nasty Pomeranian took Second in the Toy Group.]

"A fancy-cut white toy poodle called Coleman also won. The top-ranked show dog in the United States, he was born in Japan - and yes, he's bilingual, responding to commands in both languages."

Oh, gag me with a Dentabone® already! Any guy who prances around with a bunch of pompoms decoratin' his butt doesn't get my respect no matter how many languages he speaks. And does he have his own blog? I think not.

"Chihuahuas are among the breeds that have never won at Westminster. That could change this year, though, because of a little guy with the prophetic name of I Believe I Can Fly. He's of the long hair variety, not the smooth coat popularized by those Taco Bell commercials and carried around by Paris Hilton. "They're not taken seriously," said Jim Lehman, a handler of smooth coats.

  Well, just take a look at this runt and tell me, why   should we take 'em seriously? They look like   somethin' I chased through the house not long   ago. Not to mention Chihuahua owners have the   disgustin' habit of givin' 'em names like   "Tinkerbell," and "Bit Bit."

"All of the 2,581 dogs entered in the 165 breeds and varieties are champions, yet many of them never really have a chance. Labrabor retrievers have been the most popular purebred dogs in America for 15 straight years - 146,692 were registered in 2004, according to the American Kennel Club. Golden retrievers were next (52,550), followed by German shepherds (46,046) and beagles (44,555). At Westminster, their combined best in show total is a little lower: zero…

"And that makes sense to David Frei, the longtime host of USA Network's television coverage. Some dogs are just meant for the show ring. "It's the nature of what dogs are bred to do. Terriers are always on their toes, looking for trouble. They take a minimum of direction, and they're low in trainability. It's their world, and we're just lucky to be living in it," he said.

Admit it, people--we terriers put the "show" in show biz.

posted by Harrison at 10:31 PM