A cocker spaniel called “Striker” from Peters Township was nearly flawless in the the Madison Square Garden show ring Tuesday night.
His long brown and beige coat shimmered and flowed as he strutted and pranced. But the number three show dog in the country came up a bit short, finishing second in the Sporting Group at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York City.
Grand Champion Silverhall Strike Force, owned by Regina Beinhauer of Peters and Carolee Douglas of Albuquerque, New Mexico, will not be one of the seven dogs competing for Best in Show later tonight.
The athletic 32 breeds competing in the Sporting Group were introduced on the television broadcast by four-time Super Bowl champion Terry Bradshaw, the Steelers quarterback. About 2,800 dogs representing 202 breeds from 50 states and 16 countries competed in the two-day show.
A Sussex Spaniel called “Bean” finished first in the Sporting Group. That was a bit of an upset, for Grand Champion Kamand’s Full of Beans @ Erinhill was the 18th-ranked show dog in American Kennel Club competitions in 2017.
A Clumber spaniel was third and the wirehaired pointing griffon was fourth in the sporting group. Monday night winners in group competition were a Borzoi in the Hound group, a pug in Toy, bichon frise in Non-Sporting and a border collie in Herding.
Striker, 6, will retire after the Westminster show, Mrs. Beinhauer said in an earlier interview. Though she has been breeding and showing cocker spaniels for 30 years, she did not breed Striker. When he was a six-month-old puppy,she bought him from breeders Wilson S. and Bonnie S. Pike of Durham, N.H. Striker has been shown in the ring by professional handler Mike Pitts of Knoxville, Tenn.
In 2017 Striker won the Sporting Group 145 times and won Best in Show 42 times, including last December at the AKC National Championship in Orlando. He beat nearly 5,000 dogs in what is the AKC’s largest dog show.
Linda Wilson Fuoco: lfuoco@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1953.
First Published: February 14, 2018, 2:51 a.m.
