The winner of the toy group, Chuckie the Pekingese — “or Chuckles, or Chuck” — is also the son of Malachy, the Pekingese who won Westminster’s Best in Show in 2012.
“Well he doesn’t really rule the house like Malachy,” said David Fitzpatrick, his breeder, co-owner, and handler. “Malachy is the kingpin.” But the balance of power could shift if Chuckie follows his father’s (slow moving) footsteps.
“He’s just a cool little dog,” Fitzpatrick said as Chuckie reclined on a blue ice pack after his victory on Monday.
That description could also apply to Adrian, the Irish Setter who won the Sporting Group. “He’s the type of dog you want to have a beer with,” said his handler, Adam Bernardin.
But the six-year-old Adrian is not just a pretty redhead. “He’s not dumb,” Bernardin said of the breed stereotype. “He’s smart. He just chooses to listen to what he wants to.”
Rumor’s Second Chance
Hello … it’s me. Last year Rumor, a German shepherd named after the song “Rumor Has It” by Adele, was favored to win it all last year at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, but was upset by a German shorthaired pointer named C.J.
Handler Kent Boyles had planned to retire Rumor after that win, but decided to give it another run. This time, Rumor played the role of the spoiler. The 5-year-old won the herding group Monday night, beating Preston the puli, the No. 1 ranked dog in 2016.
Will the comeback canine have the dog equivalent of Adele’s Grammy haul?
To win, Rumor will have to beat Duffy, a Norwegian elkhound; Chuckie, a Pekingese; Aftin, a miniature poodle; and the winners from the sporting, working and terrier groups to be chosen earlier Tuesday evening.
About 90 minutes before Rumor returned to the ring for Best in Show, she rested quietly with a purple towel over her crate for privacy. Boyles did some calisthenics on the grooming table, stretching his hamstrings.
At home in Edgerton, Wis., they stretch their legs in other ways. Boyles takes his four-wheeler out on the trails as Rumor runs nearby. “I haven’t run over her yet,” he said.
Even though Boyles has said this before, this is likely Rumor’s final show. After Westminster, Rumor will return home and resume her role as the family pet and hang with her best buddies — a chihuahua named Massimo and a Chinese crested named X, short for Exorcist.
No More Trump Visit?
For the past few years, the victory tour of the Best in Show winner has routinely included New York sights, morning television shows and, oddly, a photo op with Donald J. Trump. Sadie the Scottish terrier. Miss P the beagle. Banana Joe the affenpinscher.
That is probably going to change this year, if only because Mr. Trump, now the president, is dealing with much bigger issues at the moment. But should it? Some Washington watchers have suggested that it might not be a bad idea for Mr. Trump to get a pet, if only for the cuddle points:
“Presidential pets are good P.R.,” U.S. News and World Report wrote in December. “They’re good for the commander in chief’s health. And of course there’s the old saying, usually attributed to President Harry Truman: ‘You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog.’”
The Washington Post reported recently that Mr. Trump was to become the first president in 150 years who did not own a pet. That looked as if it was about to change when a prominent Florida philathropist reportedly offered him a Goldendoodle puppy late last year. But the deal didn’t go through; apparently, the New York Post reported in January, she changed her mind and decided to keep the dog, named Patton.
