Westminster Wrap Up, Ukraine’s Canine Update, Clearlake Shelter Help, and More!
Penny and Katherine were both honored at the 150th Westminster Dog Show. photos: (L) Getty Images for The Westminster Kennel Club (R) Warner Bros. / Castle Rock Entertainment
Westminster Wrap Up: The Real Best in Show
Penny, a four-year-old Doberman Pinscher, walked away with top honors at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club show last month. But for our money, the highlight of this year's persnickety breed fest was the tribute to late comedian Catherine O'Hara whose many unforgettable roles included that of Cookie Fleck, the besotted owner of a Norwich Terrier in Christopher Guest's hilarious 2000 mockumentary, Best in Show.
While the film poked fun at the fictional Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show, the parallels to the AKC's annual competition were obvious, a fact acknowledged by most dog owners and handlers at this year's event. Fans applauded as a video tribute to Ms. O'Hara played on Madison Square Garden's Jumbotron screen.
"The first time I watched it, I was highly insulted," said David Patrick, AKC's 2026 Best in Show judge, about Guest's film."I was like, 'This is just awful, these people making fun of us.' Then I watched it again and I started thinking, 'Oh my God, they really have some of us pegged.'"
More than a quarter century after its release, Best in Show remains a comedy classic, streaming on all the usual platforms. Just have time for a quick cut? Give a listen to O'Hara's priceless duet with Eugene Levy on "God Loves a Terrier."
Source: nytimes.com
Nick the show dog has a day job as a therapist and cheerleader for the seniors in Vancouver. photo: Ruth Fremson, NYT
Westminster, Part 2:
Beauty Is As Beauty Does
As longtime mutt lovers, we’ve always been a little scornful of the pampered pups on display at Westminster, imagining them all as cossetted princes and princesses, bestirring themselves from their satin cushions only to be brushed and styled. That’s why we were heartened to learn that some of these fancy pooches actually have lives outside the ring, giving back to their communities.
Take Nick, a four-year-old Tibetan Spaniel (official name: Ch. Torrey’s Price Is Right) who spends his days as a volunteer therapy dog at a memory care unit in Vancouver, Washington. Or Callie, a Toy American Eskimo Dog, who’s being trained in scent work to become a diabetes alert dog. And don’t forget Breezy, the Miniature Long-Haired Dachshund who works as an emotional support dog at the elementary school where her owner teaches fifth grade.
Those are just a few of this year’s Westminster contestants with day jobs helping others. So while we’re still firmly in the pro-mutt, adopt-don’t-shop camp, we’re happy to salute these pretty pups whose beauty is more than skin deep.
Source: nytimes.com
Ihor Dykyy, a zoologist at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, with Linda, a Saint Bernard who perished from a vehicle strike. photo: Ihor Dykyy
Ukraine’s Canine Update:
Fast Changes on the Front Lines
As the war in Ukraine grinds on, researchers have made a surprising discovery about the conflict’s effects on the country’s canine population. After comparing data from over 750 domestic and stray dogs in nine different regions, a study team found that stray dogs living near the front lines had become more like wild dog species - such as wolves, coyotes, or dingoes - over a remarkably short period.
“War acts as a powerful filter, favoring traits that improve survival under extreme conditions,” observed Małgorzata Witek, one of the study’s authors. “The war had been going on for a relatively short time, yet the differences between front line dogs and other populations were already very pronounced.”
The study’s lead author, Dr. Mariia Martsiv, noted that dogs resembling a wild phenotype - straight ears, straight tail, less white in their coloring - tended to survive longer near the front lines. These surviving dogs rarely had short snouts like French Bulldogs, but neither did they have very elongated snouts like Dachshunds. Fewer older or injured dogs were present and, not surprisingly, dogs were more likely to be found living in groups in front line areas.
Of course, adaptability is a wonderful thing, but not when it’s forced by a human-inflicted nightmare. Peace can’t come soon enough for the brave people of Ukraine - and all the other beings that make their homes in that beleaguered land.
Source: nytimes.com
Volunteers from both Clearlake Animal Association and the Humane Society of Sonoma County stepped in to rescue more than 30 dogs in worst shape. photo: Humane Society of Sonoma
Help Please! Local Orgs Step Up to Deal with Clearlake Shelter Horror
After months of complaints about poor management and overcrowding, the city of Clearlake finally terminated its contract with North Bay Animal Services, which had been running that city’s shelter. But when volunteers and staff with the Clearlake Animal Association took over under an emergency contract in February, they were horrified by what they found: more than 100 animals, unfed, unclean, without adequate water, some suffering from illness and disease.
That’s when the Humane Society of Sonoma County jumped in to help, bringing back 30 of the most distressed dogs, including two nursing mothers with puppies. “One of our team members said it was the worst she’s seen in 15 years of animal welfare,” Cynthia King, HSSC’s executive director, relayed in a Reddit post. “It is likely most of them have giardia and potentially other conditions requiring isolation and immediate, extensive treatment, including test-positive cases of parvovirus in several of the puppies, a highly infectious and fatal disease with no specific cure.”
Clearly, this level of rehabilitation exceeds the normal resources of either of these small local outfits. If you’d like to help, please consider a donation to the Clearlake Animal Association and/or the Humane Society of Sonoma County - and help get these poor pups back on their paws.
Sources: hoodline.com, reddit.com
Hulu, a Great Dane therapy dog, in high demand on a visitation round at St. Cloud Hospital in Minnesota. photo: Kevin Krinke/KARE
Minnesota Nice!
Great Danes Make Great Therapy
Finally, some good news out of Minnesota. Meet Wren, a young Great Dane training to take over for Hulu, the aging Dane who currently serves as a beloved therapy dog at St. Cloud Hospital in the central part of the state.
Tipping the scales at 123 pounds, Wren is learning the ropes at a nearby nursing home, getting the experience she needs to pass the therapy animal registration process required by the hospital. The young dog is already a favorite with the home’s staff and residents, receiving kisses and pats with quiet aplomb.
In the meantime, 8-year-old Hulu continues his therapy duties, which often end with a trip to the hospital cafeteria for a cup of ice cream. And if some of it winds up on the floor? No need for a custodian. This gentle giant just mops it up with his extra-large tongue.
Source: kare11.com