THE WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB
GIVES BACK TO THE SPORT WITH NEW 2018 DONATIONS AND JUNIOR SCHOLARSHIP INCREASE
THREE $10,000 DONATIONS TO HONOR AGILITY, OBEDIENCE AND BEST JUNIOR WINNERS
courtesy of the Westminster Kennel Club and Purina Pro Plan®
T he Westminster Kennel Club is pleased to announce begin- ning in 2018, the club will donate $10,000 each to honor the respective winners of the Masters Agility Championship at Westminster and the Masters Obedience Champi- onship at Westminster. Each donation will be given to the training club where each winner is a member. In addi- tion, the Best Junior Handler advanced education scholarship award will be increased from $6,000 to $10,000 in 2018. These new donations and scholar- ship increase continues Westminster's 142-year tradition of giving back to the sport of dogs. The Masters Agility Championship at Westminster, launched in 2014 and open to purebred and mixed-breed dogs, is a popular part of the Meet & Compete event held on the Saturday before the Westminster Kennel Club
Dog Show. In this competition, 330 top agility dogs from across the country compete at the Masters level of com- petition in five height divisions. Fifty competitors then advance to the finals competition to determine the overall Masters Agility Champion. In 2018, the finals competition will be televised for the fifth year on FS1. In 2016, the Masters Obedience Championship at Westminster was added to Westminster Week. This event attracts top-winning obedience trial champions (OTCH) for a unique com- petition consisting of traditional obedi- ence exercises and a freestyle element. The competition is limited to 35 dogs whom compete for the championship. If the winner of the agility or obedience championships is not a member of a dog training club the donation will be made in their honor to a dog-related charity.
Since 1934, the Westminster Kennel Club has awarded a Best Junior Handler. Each year approximately 100 young people qualify to enter the Junior Show- manship competition at Westminster. Juniors come from all across the U.S. to be judged on their dog handling skills with eight advancing to the finals com- petition held at Madison Square Garden. Since 2010 the handler winning Best Junior Handler and the second, third and fourth placements in the finals have received scholarship monies towards advanced education. Starting with the 2018 event, the Best Junior Handler will receive $10,000. The remaining place- ments will continue to receive the fol- lowing scholarship amounts; second place $5,000, third place $4,000, fourth place $3,000 and the other four finalists each receive $500. All events during Westminster Week are presented by Purina Pro Plan®.
AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF 2017 VETERINARY SCHOLARSHIPS
courtesy of the AKC
T he American Kennel Club (AKC®), the world’s larg- est purebred dog registry and advocate for all dogs, continues its commitment to students pursuing veterinary studies with the announcement of the 2017 AKC Veteri- nary Outreach Scholarship recipients. This scholarship is designed to sup- port individuals with a background in AKC events and programs, who seek to promote animal health and medicine. A
total of $26,000 in scholarship money was awarded. Recipients of the AKC Veterinary Outreach Scholarship are: Caitlin Bowen (University of Florida), Sarah Broom (Washington State University), Jacqueline Fera (University of Pennsyl- vania), Anderson Grant (Tufts Univer- sity), Candace Hoelzel (University of Wisconsin), Olga Maderych (Univer- sity of California), Ethan McEnroe (University of California), Zong Peng (Iowa State University), Brenda Righter
(University of Florida), Susan Sperling (Cornell University), Nicole Sugai (Uni- versity of Illinois). “Each of these students has proven their dedication to the world of pure- bred dogs and balanced their busy school schedules with participation in AKC events,” said Mari-Beth O’Neill, VP of Sports Services. “We’re very proud of them all and look forward to seeing their impact on the future of veterinary medicine.”
110 • S how S ight M agazine , J une 2017
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