Westminster, The One and Only: New York is (Still) the Center of the Dog World BY DAN SAYERS continued
“IN THE NEW MILLENIUM, A VICTORY AT THE GARDEN LARGELY DEPENDS ON THE DEDICATION, STAMINA AND PERSEVERANCE OF THE WINNING DOG’S HANDLER. PEDIGREE STILL MATTERS, OF COURSE, BUT ONLY FOR THE DOG.”
to 1739. Morris was the first lord of the manor of Morrisania in what is now the Bronx. His grandson, also named Lewis Morris, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. This Morris’ granddaughter, Sabina Morris, married Robert Walter Rutherfurd, a direct descendant of Peter Stuyves- ant, the last Dutch director-general of New Netherland. The couple had four children, including a son named Lewis Morris Rutherfurd who married Marga- ret Chanler Stuyvesant. Their young- est son, Winthrop Chanler Rutherfurd, constructed a “Big House” on a private game preserve in the Skylands of War- ren County, New Jersey. Mr. Ruther- furd was a keen dog fancier who bred Smooth Fox Terriers and founded the American Fox Terrier Club, serving as its first President. In 1907, his Ch. War- ren Remedy won the first Best in Show award offered by the Westminster Ken- nel Club. The imported bitch repeated the feat the following year and again in 1909. In Rutherfurd’s day, members of the haut monde mixed more easily with industry leaders and gentlemen who enjoyed trading stories of their dogs’ accomplishments in the field. Begin- ning in the 1870s, the bar of the West- minster Hotel near Union Square was the unoffical headquarters for a group of devoted dog men. To increase local interest, they organized the Westmin- ster Breeding Association and main- tained a kennel of Pointers. In 1876, the unincorporated collective staged a dog show in Philadelphia as part of America’s Centennial celebration. The event was so well received that the
members elected to hold another show the following year in New York. The First Annual New York Bench Show of Dogs was staged at the Hippodrome at Gilmore’s Garden (future site of the “old” Madison Square Garden at East 26th Street and Madison Avenue) under the auspices of the newly renamed Westminster Kennel Club. The three- day event generated so much interest that a fourth day was added with pro- ceeds donated to the ASPCA to found a home for stray and disabled dogs. MODERN MASTERS Throughout the 20th century, West- minster’s reputation as the nation’s pre- miere dog show spread far and wide. Though members of society continued to organize show activities and main- tain strict control over club affairs, the country’s expanding middle class allowed for greater participation. Pro- fessional handlers. originally the ken- nel managers of the fabulously wealthy. inspired many newcomers. These men (and, eventually, women) secured their reputations on the ability to select, condition and present a dog capable of defeating any and all competitors. For them, a win in New York granted entrée into a rarified fraternity. The list of last century’s Westmin- ster winners includes the names of fanciers who dedicated their lives to the interests of purebred dogs. Fred- erick Henry Farwell (Sabine), Bayard Warren (Barberry Hill), H. E. Mellen- thin (My Own), Sunny Shay (Gran- deur), Margaret P. Newcombe (Penny- worth) and Julia Gasow (Salilyn) are among the celebrated breeders to have
produced a Garden winner. Among the list of owners, Halleston, Blakeen and Maridor Kennels are revered by today’s senior exhibitors, as are Puttencove and Pool Forge. Individual owners of note include Dr. Milton E. Prickett, Anne E. Snelling and Edward B. Jenner. Per- haps the only genuine New Yorker to have bred, owned and handled a Best in Show winner at Westminster was Wal- ter Goodman who did so in 1969 with Skye Terrier Ch. Glamoor Good News. In the new millenium, a victory at the Garden largely depends on the dedication, stamina and perseverance of the winning dog’s handler. Pedigree still matters, of course, but only for the dog. Modern masters who’ve managed to lead their charge to the top of the list at Westminster include many house- hold names, thanks to the proliferation of cable television. Scott Sommer, Kellie Fitzgerald, Kaz Hosaka, Bill McFadden, Michelle Scott, Gabriel Rangel, Angela Lloyd, David Fitzpatrick, Ernesto Lara, Will Alexander and Valerie Nunes- Atkinson are some of the show’s best- known winners of late. Perhaps the individual who best exemplifies the spirit of Westminster’s founding mem- bers is Kent Boyles who handled last year’s winner, the German Shepherd GCh. Lockenhaus’ Rumor Has It V Ken- lyn. As the bitch’s breeder/owner-han- dler, Kent demonstrated why exhibitors choose to return to New York year after year. His first attempt at Garden glory in 2016 wasn’t enough. Kent’s triumphant 2017 win proves that serious dog folk will always come back to the city that never sleeps for one more shot at vic- tory—no matter the weather.
84 • S how S ight M agazine , F ebruary 2018
Powered by FlippingBook