Wire Fox and Poodle

Tonight was the Best in Show competition at Westminster. The contenders included a black Standard Poodle named Yes, a beautiful black Giant Schnauzer, a Scottish Deerhound, a Scottish Terrier, a corded Puli, a Sussex Spaniel, and a Brussels Griffon. I was expecting either the Giant Schnauzer or the the Brussels Griffon to win since they were spectacular specimens of the breeds. The judge had been sequestered for the past 2 days, so she knew nothing about the breeds that had won Best in Breed. And the dog she picked tonight was … (drum roll please)… the Sussex Spaniel!! This is one of the rarest breeds with little popularity in the past decades. In fact, I checked the records, and this is the first time the Sussex has won in Westminster. What’s more, tonight’s Sussex Spaniel named Stump was 10 years old–the oldest dog to win in the show’s history! Stump has seriously broken some records.

So, as so often happens, I’m sure there will be a renewed interest in this rare breed, the Sussex Spaniel. Not to take anything away from the Sussex, but I’m still convinced that the two best breeds in the world are the Standard Poodle and the Wire Fox!

[for more info on the Sussex Spaniel, click here ]