Warning, if your kids wanted a puppy before, this article isn’t going to help! The Westminster Dog Show, which took place Tuesday night in New York City’s Madison Square Garden, was full of beautiful dogs, but none could compete with five year old female Scottish deerhound, Gch. Foxcliffe Hickory Wind, called Hickory by her handler, Angela Lloyd.
Judge Paolo Dondina, who said that the seven finalists this year were “the best he could remember,” picked Hickory as his choice for Best in Show pretty much right away.
“I think she was beautiful,” he told reporters after the award. “This one feels perfect — very well balanced and beautiful. She did a marvelous job.”
Lloyd, who lives with Hickory at her home in Virginia, gave most of the credit to her her dog. “She went in there tonight and showed like she’s never shown before,” said the 31-year-old handler. “She was solid and steady despite all the flashbulbs and cameras. She came right through it.”
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is the second oldest continuing yearly sports event in the U.S., second only to the Kentucky Derby, which beats it by a year. The contest was tougher this year because six new breeds have been officially recognized by the American Kennel Club. In total, 2,597 dogs representing 179 breeds from 49 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada competed in this year’s show.
Lloyd said the champion of them all, Hickory, will retire now that she’s won the Best in Show title and go home to the 50-acre farm in Virginia she grew up on.
“She’s a wonderful dog to live with. I’ll miss those nose-nudges in the middle of the night,” added Lloyd.
