A ‘PBGV’ wins Westminster dog show, a first for the breed

NEW YORK (AP) — A petit basset griffon Vendéen named for Buddy Holly won best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show Tuesday night (May 9, 2023). It’s a first for the rabbit-hunting breed. Buddy Holly bested six other finalists to garner the most prestigious dog show award in the United States. PBGVs, as they’re known for short, are the 154th most prevalent purebreds in the country in recent American Kennel Club rankings.About 2,500 dogs of 210 breeds vied for the trophy. Hundreds more competed in agility, obedience and other events.

NEW YORK (AP) — This Buddy Holly no longer has to sigh, “That’ll be the day.”

A petit basset griffon Vendéen named for the late rock ‘n’ roll legend won best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show Tuesday night (May 9, 2023), a first for the rabbit-hunting breed. Buddy Holly bested six other finalists to garner the most prestigious dog show award in the United States.

“I never thought a PBGV would do this,” handler and co-owner Janice Hayes said. “Buddy Holly is the epitome of a show dog. Nothing bothers him.”

Indeed, his white-tipped tail didn’t stop wagging while he competed in the stadium where the U.S. Open tennis tournament’s top matches are played. Not even while he posed for countless pictures after a win that Hayes called “so surreal.”

“We’re so proud of him,” she said.

His competitors included Rummie, a Pekingese that came in second after aiming to bring home the third trophy in 11 years for his small-but-regal breed — and for handler, owner and breeder David Fitzpatrick. He guided Pekes Malachy and Wasabi to Westminster wins in 2012 and 2021, respectively.

Rummie is “true to Pekingese type, lots of carriage, presence — everything in one, here,” he said Monday.

Winston the French bulldog was gunning for the title after coming oh-so-close last year. An Australian shepherd named Ribbon, an English setter called Cider, a giant schnauzer named Monty and an American Staffordshire terrier called Trouble also were in the pack of contenders.

If Buddy Holly was feeling the pressure, he wasn’t letting it show ahead of the finals. Instead, he seemed more concerned late Tuesday afternoon with playing with his people and rejecting the notion of a nap in his crate.

“He just screams PBGV,” Hayes said. “They’re just very independent but very charming and just silly. Their goal is to make you laugh every day.”

Originally from France, the small hounds are the 154th most prevalent purebreds in the country, according to recent American Kennel Club rankings. (Their name means “low-lying, wire-haired dog from the Vendée region” and is pronounced peh-TEE’ bah-SAY’ grihf-FAHN’ vahn-DAY’-ahn.)

Buddy Holly — so named because “he’s a buddy,” breeder Gavin Robertson explained — has also lived and competed in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia.

About 2,500 dogs of 210 breeds and varieties vied for the trophy. Among them: the newly eligible bracco Italiano breed, won by a dog co-owned by country music star Tim McGraw.

Besides the chosen finalists, there were other fan favorites, too.

There was the bloodhound that bowed deeply before a judge, the golden retriever cheered by the breed’s many fans, and the spunky German shorthaired pointer that did a few leaps before its lap around the ring. Spectators applauded 10-year-old handler Audra Maes and her shiba inu, and breeder/owner/handler Alexandria Mitchell and her Ibizan hound. They made the judge’s first cut, an accomplishment at a show where many exhibitors handle other people’s dogs as a career.

The Westminster show, held this year at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, also includes obedience and agility competitions that are open to mixed-breed dogs.

And what was next for Buddy Holly? A good night’s sleep, “upside down, rolling in pillows,” Hayes said.

“He just gets to go back to being a dog.”

NEW YORK (AP) — French bulldogs are ranked as the United States’ favorite dog breed, yet none has ever won the nation’s pre-eminent dog show. But this year, a Frenchie named Winston is a strong contender to take the trophy at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. After coming in second at the show last year and winning another major event in November, he competes Monday for a shot at the top prize. Frenchies have undergone a stunning surge in popularity in the U.S. over the last 30 years. But their rise has been dogged by concerns about their health and debate over the ethics of breeding them.

NEW YORK (AP) — The United States’ new favorite dog breed — the comical, controversial French bulldog — has never won the nation’s pre-eminent dog show.

Yet here, at an ambling trot, comes Winston. The Frenchie with NFL connections is a strong contender at this week’s Westminster Kennel Club dog show, less than two months after the release of rankings showing that his kind has become the country’s most prevalent dog breed.

Frenchies’ rise has been stunning: from 83rd most popular to No. 1 in three decades. It also has been dogged by concerns about their health, debate over the ethics of breeding, denunciations of a gold-rush-like market with ever more “exotic” variations, and a recent spate of high-profile and sometimes fatal robberies.

If all that says something about these stumpy-snouted, pointy-eared, deep-chested, quizzical little bulldogs, what does it say about the culture that loves them?

THEIR MEDIA IMAGE IMPACTS THEIR POPULARITY

“Just like humans, dogs get characterized for what they can do, but more importantly what they can symbolize,” says Cameron Whitley, a Western Washington University sociology professor and the chair-elect of the American Sociological Association’s Animals and Society section. Whitley argues that breeds’ popularity depends less on their traits than on their portrayal in media and pop culture.

Indeed, a 2013 study found no indication that longer lifespans, better behavior or other desirable characteristics make a dog breed more sought-after. One of the authors, Western Carolina University psychology professor Hal Herzog, also has observed that parabolic spikes in dog breeds resemble those in baby names, hit songs and other boom-and-bust commodities of pop culture. In short, they’re canine memes.

“The dogs have become a form of fashion,” says Herzog, who wrote a book about human attitudes and conduct toward animals.

French bulldogs have a colorful, centuries-long history involving English lacemakers, the Parisian demimonde and Gilded Age American tourists who brought the dogs home. (One even died in the 1912 sinking of the Titanic. ) But the breed’s U.S. heyday soon ended.

Then Americans got a fresh look at Frenchies in the current century. They turned up on domesticity maven Martha Stewart’s TV show, then in narrative series and movies (such as “Modern Family” and “Due Date”), ads (including Super Bowl spots for Skechers in 2012 and Bud Light this year) and the social media accounts of celebrity owners (Lady Gaga, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and many more).

French bulldog fans point to attributes beyond camera-readiness to explain the dogs’ appeal. They boast easy-care coats, modest exercise needs, an apartment-friendly size and a demeanor memorably described as “a clown in the cloak of a philosopher.”

Yet that hasn’t translated into wins at Westminster, where each dog is judged against an ideal for its own breed, not against others.

Still, longtime breeder and French Bull Dog Club of America spokesperson Patty Sosa posits that Frenchies “might have been out-flashed” by showier-looking breeds, such as poodles. (Labrador retriever partisans harbored similar theories during the 31 years their breed topped the popularity charts; it’s still winless at Westminster.)

Winston, however, came within a whisker of the trophy last year, taking runner-up to the first bloodhound ever to win. The Frenchie later won another prominent competition, the National Dog Show in Philadelphia in November. He heads into Westminster Monday as one of the show world’s most-winning dogs (the top prize will be awarded Tuesday night).

If a pooch can get a competitive edge through osmosis, the cream-colored 4-year-old probably has. He lives with part-owner Morgan Fox, a Los Angeles Chargers defensive end, when not on the show circuit with handler and part-owner Perry Payson.

Moreover, Winston “has the structure, he has the outline, he has the head, and he has the movement” of a winner, says Sosa. “And by God, he has the attitude.”

PEOPLE WORRY ABOUT THEIR HEALTH

While applauding Winston’s success, she says Frenchie folk have mixed feelings — one part joy, one part misgivings — about seeing the dogs get any more recognition.

Longtime breeders who adhere to health testing and other guidelines feel that Frenchie fever already has attracted opportunistic, slapdash people producing anything-goes, possibly unhealthy pups. There’s concern that “we’re losing the battle with education and just promoting a well-bred dog,” Sosa said.

Some veterinarians also are worried for Frenchies — all of them.

Partly because of their pushed-in, wrinkly faces, the animals are susceptible to breathing, eye, and other problems. While other breeds also have predispositions and mixed-breed dogs can be a question mark, recent research in Britain suggested Frenchies’ health is “largely much poorer” than that of other canines.

The British Veterinary Association has “strongly” recommended against buying any flat-faced dogs, and the Dutch government has prohibited breeding very short-snouted canines. In the U.S., the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association — a professional group with a focus on animal welfare advocacy — wants “to counter the dramatic increase in demand” for push-faced dogs, partly by discouraging their use in advertising.

“Owners who really love these dogs don’t understand how much the dogs are suffering,” says the group’s education director, Dr. Lorna Grande. (The broader American Veterinary Medical Association, meanwhile, has said it’s exploring ways to improve flat-faced dogs’ well-being.)

Dr. Carrie Stefaniak has seen French bulldogs with breathing difficulties in her practice in Glendale, Wisconsin. She urges would-be owners to understand the breed’s health risks and the potential expense of treatment. She emphasizes researching breeders carefully.

But she’s quick to add that Frenchies can flourish.

“The general public talks about the unhealthy ones,” Stefaniak says, “but we don’t often hear about the 13-year-olds that are still out there, doing great, or the ones that are doing agility or taking long hikes.”

Her own two French bulldogs do both those things.

MAY 6, 2023:

NEW YORK (AP) — To the casual viewer, competing at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show might look as simple as getting a dog, grooming it and leading it around a ring. But there’s a lot more to getting to and exhibiting in the United States’ most prestigious canine event. The 147th annual show starts Saturday (May 6, 2023) at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. More than 2,500 dogs from 210 different breeds and varieties signed up to vie for the best in show trophy that gets awarded Tuesday night. Contestants range from tiny Chihuahuas to long-legged Irish wolfhounds.

NEW YORK (AP) — To the casual viewer, competing at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show might look pretty simple: Get a dog. Groom it. Pose it. Lead it around a ring.

But there’s a lot more than that to getting to and exhibiting in the United States’ most prestigious canine event, now in its 147th year.

So here are the ins and outs of the show, which starts Saturday (May 6, 2023) at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

HOW MANY DOGS COMPETE?

Twenty-five hundred dogs from 210 different breeds and varieties signed up to vie for the best in show trophy that gets awarded Tuesday night. (Varieties are subsets of breeds. Think smooth, longhaired and wirehaired dachshunds.)

Hailing from 49 states and 13 countries, contestants range from tiny Chihuahuas to giant Great Danes. They include familiar breeds like Labrador retrievers, rarities such as the sloughi, and a newcomer, the bracco Italiano. Agility and obedience contests Saturday involve a few hundred more dogs, including some mixed-breed ones.

HOW DO DOGS GET INTO THE SHOW?

All the dogs are champions, meaning they’ve racked up a certain amount of prior wins and points. Certain top dogs in the sport’s complicated rankings are invited, but other pooches also can enter.

The process of becoming a potential best in show begins when breeders suss out which puppies in a litter have the physical attributes and disposition to shine in what’s known as “conformation” competition.

Some pups eventually get to Westminster with owners who learned the ropes after unexpectedly getting a show-quality dog. Other canine contestants crisscross the country by road or even air, hitting shows every weekend with big-name professional handlers and a strategy that can entail gathering intel about rivals’ schedules, pondering judges’ past picks and even running ads to celebrate the animal’s accomplishments and boost its profile. They don’t call it “campaigning a dog” for nothing!

WHAT’S A DOG SHOW DOING AT A TENNIS FACILITY?

It’s a new venue for Westminster, which was held for decades all or partly at Madison Square Garden. The pandemic prompted a move to outdoor digs at an estate in suburban Tarrytown, New York, for the past two years. Organizers were keen to return to New York City this year. Amid construction plans at a pier building that used to house the show’s early rounds, organizers linked up with the U.S. Open tennis tournament’s base in Flushing Meadows. “An iconic dog show event in an iconic venue,” Westminster President Donald Sturz enthuses.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

“Conformation” dogs first face off against others of their breed – sometimes dozens of others, sometimes few or even none. Each breed’s winner moves on to a semifinal round of judging against others in its “group,” such as hounds, herding dogs or terriers. In the final round, the seven group winners compete for best in show.

WHAT DO JUDGES LOOK FOR?

They’re tasked with determining which dog best matches the ideal, or “standard,” for its breed.

The standard is derived from the breed’s original function and may speak to anything from teeth to tail to temperament. For example, a hound developed to hunt in rough terrain might be required to have thick paw pads. A herding dog might need proportions that allow for quick, tight turns.

Judges do hands-on examinations and watch the dogs in motion, taking in each dog’s assets and imperfections. Especially in the finals, distinctions can be very subtle. Show folk often say that victory can go to “the dog on the day” — or as the rest of us might say, the one that just brings it.

WHAT BREEDS HAVE WON THE MOST?

In records going back to 1907, Wire fox terriers have scampered away with the top prize 15 times, most recently in 2019. Scottish terriers, English springer spaniels, standard poodles and Pekingeses all have five or more wins.

Many breeds have yet to triumph, including such popular ones as the Labrador retriever. But winless breeds should never say never: A bloodhound took best in show for the first time just last year.

Westminster’s agility and obedience competitions were added only within the last decade. So far, almost all the agility championships have gone to border collies, and nearly all the obedience titles to Labs. One Lab, named Heart, won five times in a row.

HAS A MIXED-BREED DOG EVER WON?

While Westminster has said there a few mixed-breed entrants in early shows, the best in show prize wasn’t awarded until 1907 and has gone only to purebreds. The pedigreed set also has won all the agility and obedience trials to date, but there’s a special prize every year for the top mix (or “all American dog,” in show parlance).

The focus on purebreds irks groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which regularly protests Westminster as a reprehensible canine beauty pageant. The kennel club says it celebrates all dogs while highlighting “preservation breeding” of those with skills and traits that have been honed over generations.

WHAT DO WINNERS GET?

Bragging rights and trophies. There are no cash prizes, though the agility and obedience winners each get to direct a $5,000 Westminster donation to a training club or to the American Kennel Club Humane Fund.

SO WHAT’S THE POINT?

Showcasing dogs, particularly breeds that many people don’t see regularly, participants say. Many also value the friendships that develop at shows that bring dog lovers together across miles and backgrounds.

“We can all talk about dogs,” says dog expert David Frei, who hosted the Westminster telecast for over two decades. “That’s the beauty of the sport, and the beauty of dogs.”