“IT WAS UNREAL WHEN THE PUBLIC FILTERED THROUGH TO VIEW THE DOGS...”
Benching at the Piers
also say a silent prayer of thanks for Cash’s breeders, Tina Pearce and Sue Hann of Rakuchin in the UK, who so selflessly shared him with us as a puppy. After photos and a few minutes to receive the many nice congratulations, we headed off to Madison Square Gar- den to prepare for the group. What an awe-inspiring moment to be escorted to the lower level of this famous facil- ity where so many great events have been held. I left Cash with Susan and Clayton at our benching area and wan- dered off to walk into the arena. My first thought was, “Oh my gosh, this place is huge!”, and I had to catch my breath, but then I realized this was
an experience of a lifetime and from that moment until we left the Toy Group judging, I didn’t feel a flicker of nerves. In my mind, it was all icing on the cake at that point and I soaked in every moment. We were lucky in that our bench-mates to either side were funny, low-key and relaxed. We joked and looked out for each other before judging began. It was unreal when the public filtered through to view the dogs and I think all of us felt a little like we ourselves were on display as people jostled for position to take photos, ask questions and “ooh” and “ahh” over the dogs. The great actress, Sigourney Weaver, drew much attention when
she passed through and she took great interest in the beautiful little IG next to us, holding him and posing for photos. When it was time for the Toy Group to begin, we were given instructions on entry and exit and walked out into the light-bathed show ring. It was much warmer than I expected and in hindsight, I should have brought a fan. Our judge, Mrs. Charlotte Patterson, quickly and efficiently examined the dogs and made her choices. No luck for us that night but I was pleased to see my friend, David Fitzpatrick, take the group with his home-bred Peke, “Chuck”, and move on to compete for Best in Show honors. I took a shot of tequila that night to celebrate our win and indulged in way too much dinner and desserts— yes, plural, desserts. We had another smooth flight on our return to Charlotte. Susan and I had
The Westminster Kennel Club entry package.
our usual post-game analysis of the event and looked at photos and videos many times over. All of the joy in Cash’s many wins are amplified by pairing with a partner like Susan. We’ve worked together for years now and what a joy it is to be in a dog rela- tionship where both give and don’t take. We were both on such a high that we jokingly said we wouldn’t even care if the flight was canceled and we had to walk home, as we both were truly walking on air.
60 • T op N otch T oys , A pril 2017
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