New York arena goes completely to the dogs on Tuesday
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Calvin with his handler Katie Grohowalski and owner Julie Iverson, right after winning best of breed at the Three Rivers Shetland sheepdog club of greater Pittsburgh specialty show.
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When Calvin, Julie Iverson's shetland sheepdog, takes the ring at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Tuesday, he'll have steak on his mind.
"We always eat steak the night before a big show and save some for him to get in the ring," said Miss Iverson, a Peters veterinarian who has been showing dogs in conformation for 12 years and is attending Westminster for the first time.
It doesn't get much bigger than Westminster, which in its 136th year is the longest-running and most prestigious dog show in the country. Established in 1877, the Westminster Kennel Club is America's oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs.
Besides steak, Calvin, who is formally known as Grand Champion Homespun Casual Blues, also loves to eat animal crackers. At only 3 years old, he is a young entrant to Westminster, which hosts the best of the best in each of 185 breeds.
For this year's show, being held at New York City's Madison Square Garden, entries came from 47 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, as well as Canada, Mexico, Italy, Brazil, Peru, Japan, China and Russia. The most entries came from New York, with 204 dogs entered.
For the second year in a row, the Rhodesian ridgeback leads the pack with 40 dogs entered, followed by French bulldogs with 39 and America's No. 1 breed, Labrador retrievers, with 38. On the other end of the spectrum, five breeds will be represented by only two dogs; these rarities include American water spaniels, kuvaszok, harriers, Sealyham terriers and Canaan dogs.
Entry is limited to 2,000 total dogs. Calvin received an invitation because he is ranked as the fourth-best in his breed nationally, Miss Iverson said. The top five ranked in each breed get an automatic invite. Many dogs enter and don't get in.
Calvin will be handled by 19-year-old Katie Grohowalski, of Washington, Pa., who has been showing the dog since she was a junior handler. She has handled him through more than 50 Best of Breed wins.
"He and Katie are a great team," said Miss Iverson, who often serves as "chauffeur" for the pair on average of two weekends a month at shows in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Virginia and New York.
Miss Iverson's kennel name, Homespun, was inspired by her spinning wheel.
"I often spin yarn from my sheltie's hair which I knit into mittens, hats, and scarfs," she said. Sheltie fur makes a very nice yarn and the resulting hats and mittens are "almost too warm," she said.
When Calvin's not in the conformation ring, he and Miss Iverson enjoy sheep herding as well as training in agility. She started out with obedience training while she was still in vet school at Michigan State University in 1984, she said.
First Published February 13, 2012 12:12 am
