Pet Age Staff //December 21, 2016//
GCHB CH Cordmaker Mister Blue Sky, a Puli known as “Preston” triumphed over nearly 5,000 dogs to earn a $50,000 cash prize and the title of Best in Show at the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin, held this weekend in Orlando, Florida. “Prestion,” owned by E. Charles, J. Beaudoin, L. Pitts, P. Kelly and S. Huebner of Raleigh, North Carolina, was crowned “National Champion” by Best in Show judge Dr. Anthony DiNardo after a weekend of intense canine competition.
Combined with other weekend events including the AKC Agility Invitational, the AKC Obedience Classic and the Junior events, the overall show totals topped 7,000 entries, making this the largest dog event held in the United States since the AKC 1984 Centennial event and the largest dog show North America.
The AKC National Championship evening live stream is available for replay at www.akc.org, 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 the Hallmark Channel on January 23, 2017 6-9 p.m. ET/PT.
The winners:
Reserve Best in Show and Group Winners
Reserve Best in Show: GCHP CH Belle Creek’s All I Care About Is Love, a bichon frise known as “Flynn,” owned by Patrina Odette, L. VanKeur, L. Carlton and L. Letsche of Plymouth, Michigan.
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: GCHS CH Clussexx Man Of Steel, a clumber spaniel known as “Angus,” owned by Clussexx Reg J Hubbard W and K Holbrook B Dowd of Bloomington, Indiana.
Hound: GCHP CH Sporting Fields Shameless, a whippet known as “Brazen,” owned by Barbara Call, J. Cooney-Waterhouse, D. Butt and A. Giles of Wilmot, Minnesota.
Working: GCHP CH Mephisto’s Speak Of The Devil, a boxer known as “Devlin,” owned by Mrs. Jack Billhardt and Sergio Tenenbaum of Canaan, Connecticut.
Terrier: GCHS CH Taliesin Twice As Nice, a Norwich terrier known as “Tanner,” owned by Lisa Sons and Jeff and Kim Sime of Homer Glen, Illinois.
Toy: GCHS CH Somerset Wynzall Hashtag, a brussels griffon known as “Newton,” owned by Keith Jacobson and Jo Ann Noffsinger of Seattle, Washington.
Non-Sporting: GCHP CH Belle Creek’s All I Care About Is Love, a bichon frise known as “Flynn,” owned by Patrina Odette, L. VanKeur, L. Carlton and L. Letsche of Plymouth, Michigan.
Herding: GCHB CH Cordmaker Mister Blue Sky, a Puli known as “Preston,” owned by E. Charles, J. Beaudoin, L. Pitts, P. Kelly and S. Huebner of Raleigh, North Carolina.
Other top dogs awarded during the two-day event included the following:
Best Bred-By-Exhibitor in Show
GCHG CH Hillwood Dassin Ouspenskaya, a poodle known as “Maria,” owned by Ellen M. Charles and Joseph Vergnetti of Washington, D.C., was awarded Best Bred-By-Exhibitor in Show.
AKC National Owner-Handled Series Finals Best in Show
GCH CH Love That Jimmy Fallon CM, a miniature American shepherd known as “Jimmy,” owned by Jeanie Troyan McAdams and Dr. Douglas McAdams won the AKC National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS) Finals Best in Show, prevailing over an invitation-only entry of 711 dogs.
Best in Miscellaneous Group
Sidekick’s Amour De Bonami CM4, a grand basset griffon vendeen known as “Ace,” owned by Brent Humphrey and Corey Benedict of Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, won the Miscellaneous Breeds competition.
Junior Showmanship
In the Junior Showmanship competition, for handlers from between 9 to 18 years of age, Lauren Marie Hull with her Great Pyrenees CH Patorama’s Lay Down The Boogie was awarded the coveted title of Best Junior Handler, along with a $2,000 scholarship.
Agility and Obedience Competitions
The 2016 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 sixth year, and an AKC Rally® Junior competition was held for the third 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 248 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
· Beginner Novice: Emily Wagoner, Maximum Force, All American Dog
· Preferred Novice: Brittaney Allen, Allen’s Ollie CD BN RN CGC, All American Dog
· Preferred Open: Emily Wagoner, Clarimond’s Because I’M the Boss CDX BN RE CGCA, Belgian Tervuren
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 2016 winners of the AKC Agility Invitational, which brought together 700 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 or Superior Classes, depending on whether they had achieved an agility title.
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 (12”, 16″ and 24″ respectively) in the Junior Superior class were:
North America Diving Dogs/AKC National Championship.
A record entry of more than 700 dogs entered the NADD/AKC National Championship.
The Championship winners include:
AKC Breeder of the Year
Alan Kalter and Dr. Chris Lezotte were presented with the 2016 AKC Breeder of the Year Award for their HappyLegs Bullmastiffs at the AKC National Championship on Saturday, December 17. 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 Rhodesian Ridgeback booth won AKC Meet the Breeds® Best Booth in Show.