Pet Age Staff//December 18, 2017//
Pet Age Staff //December 18, 2017//
GCHP CH Silverhall Strike Force, an ASCOB Cocker Spaniel known as “Striker” triumphed over nearly 5,000 dogs to earn a $50,000 cash prize, a paw print pendant arrayed in sparking round diamonds from KAY Jewelers’ “LOVE is a four legged word collection” and the title of Best in Show at the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin, held this weekend in Orlando, Florida. “Striker,” owned by Regina Beinhauer & Carolee Douglas of Venetia, Pennsylvania and bred by Wilson S. Pike and Bonnie S. Pike was crowned “National Champion” by Best in Show judge Roger R. Hartinger after a weekend of intense canine competition.
Combined with other weekend events including the AKC Agility Invitational, the AKC Obedience Classic, the inaugural AKC Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy and Junior Stakes and the Junior events, the overall show totals topped 8,600 entries, making this the largest dog event in North America.
The AKC National Championship evening live stream is available for replay at www.akc.org and live.royalcanin.com alongside on-demand coverage of the Bred-By Exhibitor groups, Junior Showmanship Finals, Best Miscellaneous, Agility and Obedience competitions. The show will be televised on Animal Planet on January 1, 2018 7 p.m. EST/PT with a re-airing at 11 p.m. EST.
The winners:
Reserve Best in Show and Group Winners
Reserve Best in Show: GCHG CH Le Petit Prince de La Bete, a French Bulldog known as “Princeton,” owned by Alexandra Geremia and Blake Hamman and Peter Photos of Santa Barbara, California, and bred by Peter Photos and Blake Hamman.
After winning Best of Breed competitions the following top dogs went on to win in their respective groups and compete for Best in Show:
Sporting: GCHP CH Silverhall Strike Force, an ASCOB Cocker Spaniel known as “Striker,” owned by Regina Beinhauer & Carolee Douglas of Venetia, Pennsylvania, and bred by Wilson S. Pike and Bonnie S. Pike.
Hound: GCHB CH Pahlavi Marilyn Merlot, an Afghan Hound known as “Chelsea,” owned by Dr. Patrick Truman & Jeff Bracken & Karen Wagner of Damascus, Maryland, and bred by Karen Wagner and Ellen C. Klosson.
Working: GCHG CH Taolanquest Flying Cloud, an Alaskan Malamute known as “Cloud,” owned by Alisa Syar and Laurie Newburn and Ron Pohl and Mike Stone of Granite Bay, California, and bred by Laurie Newburn and Ron Pohl.
Terrier: GCHG CH Absolutely Signature, a Smooth Fox Terrier known as “Bradley,” owned by JW Smith and Dana Gabel of North Collins, New York, and bred by James W. Smith and Dana Shumacher.
Toy: GCHG CH Pequest Pickwick, a Pekingese known as “Chuck,” owned by David Fitzpatrick and Nancy H. Shapland of East Berlin, Pennsylvania, and bred by David Fitzpatrick.
Non-Sporting: GCHG CH Le Petit Prince de La Bete, a French bulldog known as “Princeton,” owned by Alexandra Geremia and Blake Hamman and Peter Photos of Santa Barbara, California, and bred by Peter Photos and Blake Hamman.
Herding: GCHS CH Cordmaker Mister Blue Sky, a Puli known as “Preston,” owned by Ellen Charles and J. Beaudoin and L. Pitts and S. Huebner of Washington, D.C., and bred by Sue Huebner.
Other top dogs awarded during the two-day event included the following:
Best Bred-By-Exhibitor in Show
GCHS CH Wingfield N Chebaco Just So You Know, an English Setter known as “Langdon,” owned by Don and Pat Coller and Eileen Hackett of Bloomington, Indiana, was awarded Best Bred-By-Exhibitor in Show.
AKC Royal Canin National All-Breed Junior of the Year
GCH CH Unity’s Maid an Entrance CGC, a Weimaraner known as “Gali” owned by Michelle Hunter and Gregory McLogan and Amy L. Tourond of Springfield, Missouri, and bred by Gregory McLogan, Vicki Ruiz and Amy L. Tourand won Junior of the Year.
AKC National Owner-Handled Series Finals Best in Show
GCHS CH Wigglesworth Aberlour’s Pyt CGC, a Bearded Collie known as “Ellee” owned by Sharon Ipser and Dawn Mieras of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and bred by Dawn Symes Mieras, Shannon Symes and Sharon Ipser won the AKC National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS) Finals Best in Show, prevailing over an invitation-only entry of 705 dogs.
Best in Miscellaneous Group
Chucarin Bravoure Blanche, a Dogo Argentino known as “Ray,” owned by Martin Bellavitis and Carlos Bellavitis of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and bred by Carlos Bellavitis won the Miscellaneous Breeds competition.
Junior Showmanship
In the Junior Showmanship competition, for handlers from between 9 to 18 years of age, Erin LaPlante with her Doberman Pinscher GCH CH Fayek I’ll Have Another was awarded the coveted title of Best Junior Handler, along with a $2,000 scholarship.
Agility and Obedience Competitions
The 2017 AKC Obedience Classic and the AKC Agility Invitational were held in conjunction with the AKC National Championship. The two events demonstrate the highest level of training and teamwork between dog and handler. Obedience and agility competitions for junior handlers were held for the seventh year, and an AKC Rally Junior competition was held for the fourth year.
AKC Obedience Classic
Four obedience dogs and their owners–one dog/handler team in each of the four classes–were crowned at the AKC Obedience Classic, which brought together 235 dogs from across the country and beyond.
Placing first in their class (Novice, Open, Utility and Masters respectively) were:
AKC Juniors Obedience/Rally Classic
Juniors who participated in the AKC Juniors Classic competed in Obedience and/or AKC Rally.
In Obedience, juniors competed in the Beginner Novice, Preferred Novice and Preferred Open classes twice, based on their AKC obedience accomplishments.
Placing first in their class were:
Obedience
In AKC Rally, Juniors competed in Rally Novice, Rally Advanced or Rally Excellent, based on the dog’s class eligibility (qualifying scores and/or titles earned).
Placing first in their class were:
Rally
AKC Agility Invitational
Five agility dogs and their owners–one dog/handler team in each of the five height categories– were crowned as the 2017 winners of the AKC Agility Invitational, which brought together 716 dogs from across the country and beyond.
Placing first in their height division (8″, 12″, 16″, 20″ and 24″ respectively) were:
AKC Juniors Agility Competition
Juniors who participated in the AKC Juniors Agility Competition competed in either the Junior Excellent (at least 14 years old but under 19 years old) or Superior Classes (under the age of 14).
Placing first in their height division (8″, 12″, 16″, 20″ and 24″ respectively) in the Junior Excellent class were:
Placing first in their height division (8″, 12″, 16″, 20″ and 24″ respectively) in the Junior Superior class were:
North America Diving Dogs/AKC National Championship.
A record entry of more than 630 dogs entered the NADD/AKC National Championship.
The Championship winners include:
AKC Breeder of the Year
Helyne Medeiros was presented with the 2017 AKC Breeder of the Year Award for Seasyde Pointers at the AKC National Championship on Saturday, December 16. The annual award honors breeders who have made an impact on their breed and dedicated their lives to improving the health, temperament and quality of purebred dogs.
AKC Meet the Breeds
The Mastiff booth won AKC Meet the Breeds Best Booth in Show.