Contest for Best in Show at Westminster begins

Four new dog breeds will compete Monday and Tuesday at the 132nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The show, which takes place at the Madison Square Garden Center, will be telecast on the USA network and CNBC.

The four breeds recently recognized by the American Kennel Club which will make their first appearances at this show are the Plott, Tibetan Mastiff, Beauceron and the Swedish Vallhund.

The Westminster Kennel Club began in New York when a group of gentlemen who enjoyed sporting dogs got together. Their usual meeting place was the Westminster Hotel in New York City.

Last year during the 131st show, history was made when odds on the outcome of the show were posted on the sports books in Las Vegas.

The 2,627 competitors at America's most prestigious dog show – including more than a half-dozen from Dallas – arrive with impeccable histories, the finest of bloodlines and that indefinable something that elevates them to the top of their breeds.

But once in a while, it takes a little more to spot a winner.

Take Lucky, a Dallas dog that entered the ring at the Westminster Kennel Club show in New York City as the No. 1 wirehaired dachshund in the country, winning an award of merit on Monday.

Lucky – or more grandly, Ch. J's Lady Bugs Luckily My Bug, was almost sold as a puppy "because we didn’t think he'd be worth anything" in the show ring, owner-breeder Sharon Johnson said with a laugh.

Despite a family tree practically bending beneath the weight of accumulated first-class ribbons and trophies, young Lucky was something of a fluff ball compared to his bristle-furred brethren.

"He was supposed to be sold to someone else but they backed out," Ms. Johnson said. "So our trainer decided to strip him – he had tons of fur, and dachsies aren't normally like that. And she called me up and said, 'Do not sell this dog!'."

Beneath the fur, the trainer found a dog that is "put together very, very well," Ms. Johnson said.

Built low to burrow after quarry, dachshunds require a long, sturdy ribcage and a deep chest called a "keel" they can use for support as they dig furiously with their front paws.

"The judges go on ribbing and keel, and his ribbing goes way back," Ms. Johnson said.

"And he's 'Mr. Show.' When he walked into that ring, it's 'Here I am!'."

Rocky, the country's top-ranked Cavalier King Charles spaniel, shares that same attitude and level of success. But for him, that was never really in doubt.

"This little dog was first shown at nine or 10 months and won, which is very unusual for a puppy," said Mary Grace Eubank of Argyle, Rocky's breeder. Her husband, Ted, co-owns and trains the dog.

From that bright beginning, Rocky – Ch. Pinecrest Orchard Hill Rock the Boat – kept winning and winning, including a surprising best-of-breed victory at Westminster in 2007 when he was just 19 months old.

He'll try for a repeat performance on Tuesday morning.

"He's got an extraordinary head, a beautiful, beautiful head, and he fits the breed standard," Ms. Eubank said. "He's the right size, has a beautiful conformation, a perfect topline, and those big, round beautiful dark eyes that Cavaliers are known for."

And still several months shy of 3, Rocky is just entering his prime. But staying at the top takes a lot of work, and a lot of competitions.

That means Rocky and Mr. Eubanks are busy boys, traveling coast to coast for major shows, putting up mileage totals that leave the land-bound gasping.

"Rocky and my husband are going just about every weekend," Ms. Eubank said. "They might go to California on Friday and then to Atlanta and from there maybe to New York.

"So Rocky sees a lot more of Ted than I do."

Both Rocky and Lucky are relatively small dogs – Cavalier King Charles spaniels weigh from 13 to 18 pounds, and full-size wirehaired dachshunds are a compact 30 pounds or so – and they fly in the cabin of the airplane, not the luggage compartment.

Home is often a hotel room – the famed Hotel Pennsylvania for the Westminster, right across the street from the show at Madison Square Garden.

It sure isn't the typical dog's life, and "it ain't cheap, let me tell you," Ms. Johnson said.

The Eubanks have been at it for 20 years, Ms. Eubank said, “and our kids do not understand this at all.

"All they can see is their inheritance being spent," she said, before adding, "Just kidding."

Still, this has been an amazing ride, Ms. Eubank said, especially since she hadn't even heard of Cavalier King Charles spaniels when she set off looking for a little dog in what had become the Eubanks' empty nest in Dallas.

"We always got our dogs from the SPCA, or rescued them," she said. "But when our kids grew up and went off to school, I wanted a little dog."

Her first choices were "so yappy and nervous." But then a vet said he'd heard good things about the little spaniels.

"We bought one – she was adorable – and I took her to a dog show and she won!" Ms. Eubank said. "Then she won another one, so we got into the Cavalier club and went to some shows. She didn't win much, but we bred her to one of the top dogs."

Eventually, the Eubanks began showing a dog named Kiss Me Kate, who became the top dog in the Cavalier club.

"That's when my husband got very involved," Ms. Eubank said. "He's very competitive."

Over the years, they've had enormous success with their dogs, and Rocky is one of their best.

But when Rocky retires from the ring, the Eubanks could join him.

"We've had a lot of dogs that have been top dogs. We've had more champions than anyone else in the breed," Ms. Eubank said.

"But after this, it's about time to wrap it up."