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FeedDogged Determination
Competitive local canines and their owners gear up for the National Dog Show.
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Maybe it was his dazzling snow-white coat, bearded face and the tousled hair between his eyes—or the raised paw as the judge was preparing to give him a final once-over. Whatever the case, Charmin, a 5-year-old Sealyham Terrier from Chester County, beat out more than 20,000 other canines last March, snatching Britain’s—and the dog world’s—most prestigious prize: Best in Show at the Crufts Dog Show.
“We were the first ones to be judged in the finals, so we entered the ring under a spotlight—which only happens a couple times in a lifetime of showing,” recalls Cochranville owner/handler Margery Good. “Charmin responded with almost a professional march, neck held high. The crowd went crazy, clapping and cheering. He usually enters the ring with a lot more speed, so it’s like he read my mind and my body language. He knows when it’s a very prestigious event, and that’s when he steps up and performs his best. He is in a league by himself.”
Indeed. Bred by Frances Bergeron of Québec, Charmin is one of the most recognizable show dogs in the world and the winningest Sealyham in the history of the breed. Winner of California’s AKC/ Eukanuba National Championship (and $50,000 in prize money) and the World Dog Show in Sweden (in front of 50,000 people), he’s garnered a remarkable 94 AKC all-breed Best in Shows and the most wins in dog-show history.
Charmin, who lives with Good and sleeps on the floor by her bed, has gone out on top. He retired last spring. “He’s zipping around getting dirty in the yard, wet in the rain,” she says. “He’s just a regular dog. He goes to the shows with me, since so many folks want to see him and rub on him.”
Waiting in the wings, however, is Charmin’s full brother, 6-year-old Merci, who earned the No. 1 all-breed title in Canada. “Merci is very generous and consistent in the ring,” says Good. “He’s not as proud as Charmin and is very content with himself, so he doesn’t need to show superiority. That’s why both dogs get along so well at home with me.”
Merci is expected to be a strong contender in the National Dog Show Nov. 14-15 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks. Roughly 15,000 fans are expected to turn up to watch more than 2,000 premier canines compete for Best in Breed, Group Winner and the coveted Best in Show.
The National Dog Show has become as much of a TV fixture on Thanksgiving as pumpkin pie and the NFL. When the event was first televised in 2002, executives had to rub their eyes just to be sure they were seeing the surprising rating numbers. It’s the world’s most widely watched dog show, with over twice the audience of the next two most popular such events combined. This year, the two-hour taped NBC special is expected to reach 20 million viewers.
John O’Hurley—who played the Jay Peterman character in the hit TV series Seinfeld—will again host the special. A passionate dog lover, he’s authored two books on the subject.
“When you’re watching these dogs—all the best of their breeds—it’s like watching thoroughbreds walk down toward the starting gate at the Kentucky Derby,” says O’Hurley. “You get the sense that this is the best of what it could possibly be.”
