Best in Show

Stump the spaniel stomps competition at 133rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

• PRINT
• EMAIL

There's a new top dog in town. A 10-year-old Sussex spaniel named Stump became the oldest dog to win Best in Show at the 133rd annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, on Tuesday.

The Westminster dog show is the second oldest continuously held sporting competition in the United States. The Kentucky Derby horse race is the oldest.

Stump came out of retirement to out-prance more than 2,500 dogs at Madison Square Garden in New York City this week. His floppy ears, plodding paws, and casual gait (or walk) made Stump a fan favorite.

The audience roared when judge Sari Tietjen declared the golden-red pooch Best in Show.

"I didn't know how old he was," Tietjen told reporters. "He didn't show like an old dog. He was fabulous."

Tuesday's win wasn't Stump's first trip around the Westminster ring. He won the sporting group in 2004 at the age of 5. But after that win, he got very sick with a bacterial infection. It took veterinarians at Texas A&M University 19 days to figure out how to cure the canine.

Stump's owner and handler, Scott Sommer, didn't decide until last week that he would show his beloved pet at Westminster. The spaniel didn't follow a strict training regimen to prepare for the big night. Sommer told reporters that he barely walked him around the driveway to see if he was show ready.

But clearly, Stump remembered his star turn as a younger pup.

"This was his outing, and it turned out to be a good one," Sommer said.

Although Stump performed beautifully on Tuesday, show dogs aren't judged by their performance in the ring. They're judged by how perfect an example they are of the standard, or guidelines, for their breed.

The Westminster Kennel Club says that Sussex spaniels are rare. There are only 600 registered in the United States. As a general rule, a Sussex should have a massive head, long body, strong, short legs, a rolling gait, and a happy tail.

In judge Tietjen's expert opinion, Stump, the first Sussex to win the top prize at Westminster, was closer to perfect than any of his six final-round competitors.

"He showed his heart out," she said. "He was everything you want."

Stump won't be keeping the busy celebrity schedule that last year's winner, Uno the beagle kept, however. After Stump makes the rounds of talk shows and special events required of the Westminster winner, Sommer declared that the champion will go home to Houston, Texas.

"He really is retired this time," he said.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

Read today’s story and answer the following question.

The standard, or guidelines, for the Sussex spaniel says that the breed should have a cheerful and easy-to-manage personality. What personality traits do you think are most important in a dog? Why? Tell us what you think on the Scholastic News Online Blog!

MORE NEWS FOR KIDS

Get the latest on national and international events, movies, television, music, sports, and more from Scholastic News Online.

 

Ready, Set, Mush!
The 37th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race began on Sunday, March 8. Sixty-seven teams took off from Willow, Alaska, with the goal of completing a grueling 1,100-mile journey to the finish line in Nome.

Leaders of the Pack
Two Iditarod wins just weren't enough for amazing musher Lance Mackey. He had to have one more. The two-time defending Iditarod champ and his 15 dogs claimed a third Iditarod crown as they bounded across the finish line in Nome, Alaska, Wednesday.