Miniature Poodle Named Sage Wins Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

NEW YORK — Sage decided on a final hurrah.

Sage, a miniature poodle, earned the top prize Tuesday night at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, which veteran handler Kaz Hosaka said would be his final appearance at the United States’ most renowned canine event. He intends to retire after 45 years of competing and winning two show dog championships.

Sage became the 11th Westminster winner for poodles of various sizes, trailing only wire fox terriers in that category. Spice won the prize with Hosaka in 2002, the last miniature poodle to do so.

“No words,” he stated in the ring to explain his reaction to Sage’s victory before adding a few: “So happy—exciting.”

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Miniature Poodle Named Sage Wins Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

The inky-black poodle walked briskly and proudly around the ring, “gave a great performance for me,” Hosaka noted.

Sage defeated six other contestants to win best in the show. Mercedes, a German shepherd, finished second, and her manager, Kent Boyles, had previously shepherded a best-in-show winner.

Other dogs in the final round included Comet, a shih tzu who won the big American Kennel Club National Championship last year; Monty, a giant schnauzer who arrived at Westminster as the nation’s top-ranked dog and was a Westminster finalist last year; Louis, an Afghan hound; Micah, a black cocker spaniel; and Frankie, a colored bull terrier.

A protester with a poster urging people to “boycott breeders” attempted to enter the ring as Sage was walking around it, but security quickly stopped him. According to police and the animal rights organization PETA, three activists were arrested. Charges have not yet been determined.

In an event where all contestants are champions under the dog show’s point system, winning can come down to subtleties and a memorable performance at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open tennis competition.

The best-in-show judge, Rosalind Kramer described the final lineup as “excellent and glorious.”

Katie Bernardin, Monty’s handler and co-owner, says, “Just to be in the ring with everyone else is an honor.”

“We all love our dogs. “We’re doing our best,” she remarked in the ring following Monty’s semifinal victory. “A stallion” of a dog, he’s robust, powerful, and “very spirited,” said Bernardin of Chaplin, Connecticut.

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Miniature Poodle Named Sage Wins Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

Bernardin was so lively that she kept Monty stimulated by doing obedience and other canine sports while she was pregnant.

Dogs first compete against members of their breed. Then, the winner of each breed competes against others in its “group.” The seven group winners compete in the final round.

The best-in-show winner receives a trophy and a position in dog-world history but no monetary reward.

Other canines were popular with the crowd besides the victors. A lagotto Romagnolo named Harry made the stadium audience laugh by sitting up and demanding a treat from his handler, while a vizsla named Fletcher captivated fans by leaping up on its handler after completing a spin around the ring.

There were also large shouts for Sebastian, a frisky great Pyrenees, and Emilio, a Doberman pinscher.

Stache, a Sealyham terrier, was another dog who competed but did not make it to the finals. He won the National Dog event, televised on Thanksgiving, and took first place at a major terrier event in Pennsylvania last fall.

Stache features a rare breed considered endangered even in its home, Britain.

“They’re a little-known treasure,” said Stache’s co-owner, co-breeder, and handler, Margery Good of Cochranville, Pennsylvania, who has been breeding “Sealys” for 50 years. Originally evolved in Wales to hunt badgers and other burrowing wildlife, the terriers with a “fall” of hair over their eyes are brave but funny — Good calls them “silly hams.”

Westminster can seem like a study of canine contrasts. Walking around, a visitor could notice a Chihuahua staring out of a carrying bag at a stocky Neapolitan mastiff, a ring full of honey-colored golden retrievers next to a row of stark-black big schnauzers, and handlers with dogs much larger than themselves.

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Miniature Poodle Named Sage Wins Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

Shane Jichetti was one among them. Ralphie, the 175-pound (34-kg) great Dane she co-owns, outweighs her significantly. Showing such a large animal requires extensive skill, but “if you have a bond with your dog and just go with it, it works out,” she said.

Plus, despite his girth, Ralphie is “so chill,” according to Jichetti. He’s playful at home on New York’s Staten Island, but when it comes to the ring, he’s on point — just like his harlequin-pattern coat.

“He’s just an honest dog,” Jichetti remarked.

The Westminster show, which dates back to 1877, focuses on conventional purebred judging, which results in the best-in-show prize. However, over the last decade, the organization has expanded its agility and obedience events to include mixed-breed dogs.

This year’s agility competition saw its first non-purebred winner, a border collie-papillon mix named Nimble.

Kramer, the best in show judge, went on to thank “every dog, whether it’s a house dog or a show dog.”

“Because you make our lives whole.”

SOURCE – (AP)