Local Dogs Compete In Westminster Show

Kylie with owner and handler Susan Hayes at the 142nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, where Kylie won “Winners Bitch” for best golden female. (Instagram photo/@hayessa11)

By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com

Several Town of Huntington canines showed off their fur and struck a pose at the 142nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show earlier this week.

The show spotlights nearly 3,000 well-bred and groomed canines of 202 breeds and varieties from around the country, including Huntington.

Area representatives were: Gunnar, a 2.5-year-old, 97-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback; Jetti, a 7-year-old, 13-pound Schipperke; and Kylie, a 1.5-year-old, 65-pound Golden Retriever.

This was the first time Gunnar, whose formal name is CH Ushamwaris Twenty-One Guns, competed in the Westminster show. He was among 42 Ridgebacks competing on Monday.

Owners Diana and Stephen Garden of Huntington got Gunnar from breeders Janice and John Paolicelli of Ushamwaris Rhodesian Ridgebacks in Ridge. Janice is also Gunnar’s handler.

Although Gunnar didn’t win any prizes, Diana said, “It was a great experience and it was great for him to be a part of that. You meet people from all over the United States, dogs from all over, so it was exciting.”

Jetti wins “Select Bitch” at the 142nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. (Instagram photo/@amace_nydpt)

Gunnar has been competing in several local shows on Long Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. His last show was at the AKC Champion Dog Show at the Smithtown Historical Society in September 2017. There, he took first place in the hound group and then third place in the same group on a different day.

In order to become a Champion show dog, the American Kennel Club requires dogs to earn 15 points and two major wins through competitions, which Gunnar earned himself in March 2017. Now, Diana said they are working towards his Grand Champion, which requires an additional 25 points and three major wins.

Jetti, whose formal name is GCH CH Beachview’s On the Rocks, competed on Monday with co-owner and handler Alexandra Mace of Dix Hills. In the competition, Jetti won “Select Bitch” for her breed.

Kylie, whose formal name is Amberglos Blond Mist on Harbor Haze, competed in Westminster for the first time on Tuesday, claiming the title of  “Winners Bitch” for best golden female.

Her owners are Susan and Thomas Hayes of East Northport. Susan is also Kylie’s handler.

Gunnar is a 2.5-year-old 97-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback. (Photo by Diana Garden)

Susan said having Kylie compete in the Westminster show was always on her bucket list, adding that the experience was exhilarating.

“It was really an opportunity of a lifetime to show such a beautiful dog with the quality of Golden Retrievers that were in the ring,” she said.

Kylie earned herself a major win before she was a year old, which allowed her to qualify for the Westminster show. She also recently competed in the Merrimack Valley Kennel Club Dog Show in Springfield, Massachusetts, in January, where she won “Best of Winners.”

Susan’s goal is to have Kylie compete for her Championship, and follow in the footsteps of her father, Wyatt, who is a Grand Bronze Champion and made it into Show Dog Hall of Fame.

“We were very spoiled with the success of her dad,” Susan said. “If she could follow in his footsteps that would be awesome.”