FIRST TIME’S THE CHARM— A TRIP TO WESTMINSTER by SCOTT TONEY Midwood Japanese Chin
M ultiple visits to Crufts, English championship and open shows, nation- al specialties, regional specialties and all-breed shows across the country; how had I managed to visit and exhibit at so many dog shows yet had never shown at, much less attended, our most prestigious show, Westminster? It was most likely a com- bination of bad timing and a little bit of intimidation at the logistics of traveling to and showing in New York City. But with “Cash” in tow, co-owner Susan Link and I traveled to the big event. Our flight to New York was unevent- ful thanks to great seats and the help of my friend Clayton, who assisted with flight arrangements and all the extra gear. I have flown with Cash before, yet was surprised at all the attention he received on this flight. I was even more surprised how many people were on board with the sole intent to travel to New York for the show. They were surprisingly well-informed dog enthusi- asts; it was so nice that someone actual- ly knew what a Japanese Chin was, and didn’t ask if he was a Pekingese or a Shih Tzu! Once we landed, a driver from our hotel skillfully (if not daringly) wove his way through traffic and we checked into our rooms at The Wyndham. The accommodations were great and the hotel set up a very nice exercise/relief area in the basement complete with
tables, treadmill and lots of pine chips spread out for the dogs to use. After a fantastic meal at a Peruvian/ Chinese fusion restaurant (strange sounding combo, but it was amaz- ing!) we had a sound night’s sleep and checked in at the Piers the following morning. I was blown away by how accommodating and kind everyone was at the venue, from the drivers to the security team, to the ring stewards and superintendent; you couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Being new to Westminster, I had a few questions about times, transfers, travel, duplicate ribbons, etc. and the AKC Superinten- dent team were helpful, pleasant and enthusiastic about their job. A special thank you goes out to them. We were benched with a first row waterfront view on a glorious sunny, cold and windy day. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting members of the pub- lic who took the time to visit with us and Cash; it was so cool to take photos with them and share about our breed. I was surprised to see how many Japa- nese Chin pet owners took the time to visit us. I asked to see photos of their dogs and we swapped lots of fun Chin stories. Mrs. Jacqueline Stacy was our breed judge and at 1:45 pm it was finally time to enter the ring! Cash really seemed to enjoy the feel of the artificial turf under his feet and I could tell he was having
fun and was energetic. Although my friends tease me about my intense look in the ring, I was thoroughly enjoying myself despite feeling normal nerves and Cash and I were experiencing the usual click and sense of teamwork we always have in the ring. Having fun is the main part of the equation, but of course we wanted to win! I eyed the competition as Mrs. Stacy individually put them through their paces. Every Chin in the ring was a beauty and really moved out with freedom and precision. I knew we were up against tough com- petition. When the decisive moment arrived, Mrs. Stacy selected Cash as Best of Breed and a feeling of relief, euphoria and accomplishment swept over me. I thought back to his first group place- ment from the classes as a puppy dog and memories of his first Group One, specialty wins and other wins raced through my mind. I felt so proud that in his entire specials career no one ever handled him other than Susan and I. No ringside hand-offs to professional han- dlers, no sending off to be specialed despite several generous sponsor offers. Having bred and shared top-winning and producing Chin, I know what goes into the making of a great dog and it’s easy to forget what helps us gain any measure of success. So I made sure to
“IT WAS SO NICE THAT SOMEONE ACTUALLY KNEW WHAT A JAPANESE CHIN WAS,
AND DIDN’T ASK IF HE WAS A PEKINGESE OR A SHIH TZU!”
T op N otch T oys , A pril 2017 • 59
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