In his first six months as a show dog, CJ won 17 Best In Show titles - make that 18 BIS titles, after beating out more than 2,700 dogs representing almost 200 breeds to win the most prestigious dog show in the USA!
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This week the Westminster Kennel Club held its 140th annual competition to see who would win the coveted title of Best in Show. In the running was Lucy, a Borzoi representing the Hound group; Panda, a Shih Tzu from the Toy group; Annabelle, a Bulldog who was a crowd favorite from the Non-Sporting group. Then there was Rumor, a German Shepherd from the Herding group who entered the show as the country’s number one dog with more than a hundred first place wins; a Samoyed named Bogey from the Working group; and Charlie, a Skye Terrier from the Terrier group.
They are the best of the best but they all got beat out by CJ, a handsome liver-and-white German Shorthaired Pointer from the Sporting group. At three years old, he is actually a relative newcomer to the dog show competition circuit but he has good genes. This is only the third time in 140 years that a German Shorthair has won at Westminster, but CJ’s family tree includes both of the previous winners.
His owner said she watched CJ running at maybe six weeks of age and knew he had something special, just in the way he carried himself. That was something show judge Richard Meen noticed when he made his choice as to which of the seven finalists would win the Westminster title. CJ moved so well that he seemed to float around the ring.
At home CJ is just a regular pet, one of six dogs, two of which are rescues. His best friend is a Whippet named Ramona, but he is also very fond of the family cat, Tootsie (even though she is not so fond of CJ). He loves to run and play fetch, pretty much like most dogs. He has a long formal registered name, but his family just calls him “the Prince”.
When I watch the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, I marvel at the beautiful animals who represent such diverse breeds and backgrounds. Yet they all have one thing in common – as they interact with their handlers and the judges, you see their personality show through, and you realize that it is in their very nature to be companions, something we all appreciate about our canine friends when we’re speaking of pets.
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