No Reason to be Stumped!

By Beth J. Bates

Sorry poodle peeps, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a breed other than a poodle win Westminster. Each year I gird myself for the obligatory poodle to win the cup. This year I was doubly elated that an "old" dog took home the ribbon. And a special shout-out to Westminster management and Pedigree for pushing the importance of adoption throughout the broadcast.

I caught most of the Westminster broadcast this year on the re-air the next morning. It was perfect as a background noise to accompany my morning workload. Although I love the dogs, the broadcast itself can be a little tedious to watch. But, all-in-all, I thought that it was a good presentation of the best in breeds...with a few surprises.

The mastiffs are always my favorite dogs to watch and the Working Group is my favorite group. This year the Dogue de Bordeaux (or French mastiff) was added to the line-up which was very exciting for me. My husband coos for the Jack Russells and Fox Terriers. It's a wonder that we ever got married.

First of all, I can't believe that an old dog won. That is awesome. Kudos to Stump, a beautiful 10-year-old Sussex Spaniel from Houston, Texas. Stump is the oldest dog to win Westminster, beating out an 8-year-old Papillon in 1999. Stump got his name from his stubby, stumpy legs which is totally appropriate. He had poise, grace and a spunky attitude that caught judge, Sari Tietjen, and wouldn't let go. She had no idea who he was or his age. So, again, many congratualtions to Stump.

My personal favorite highlight of the show was when the Scottish Terrier peed on the show floor during the start of the Best in Show ceremony. I love it when, even in the most inappropriate times, dogs remind us that they are dogs.

I was very impressed that Westminster and Pedigree did such an incredible job promoting Pedigree's "Dogs Rule" adoption drive and the importance of pet adoption. I couldn't find an online copy of the video, but there was a commercial that was shown during the show that featured the chairman of Westminster, Don Snyder, talking about the importance of pet adoption. I thought that it was very thoughtful and showed a lot of class. Westminster has always represented the who's who of top-of-the-line purebred dogs. And to see the show encouraging folks to adopt was inspiring.

So Stump will tour the media circuit as the winner of the 133rd Westminster Dog Show. Who will win next year? Who knows. But until then I'll enjoy the fact that an old dog won out over a pretentious poodle.