A Podengo Of An Experience At Westminster

Tango tabled
at Westminster

Woke up bright and early Monday morning, excited to cover the Portuguese Podengo Pequeno Westminster competition at the Pier. This was their first time competing at Westminster; the breed had just been added last year by the AKC. And, with Sophie being a little Podengo herself, I was over the moon about supporting the breed. David Frei, the Director of Communications for theWestminster Kennel Club, was kind enough to give me a media pass to cover the event for Bark and Swagger, and I wasn’t going to miss it for the world!

When I arrived at ring 6, a few Podengos had already gathered. I saw Tango (kennel name “GCH Houla’s Border Patrol”), who Sophie and I had met the day before at the Hotel Pennsylvania. I wrote about Sophie’s Podengo party with a few of the breed champs. What fun! Also saw Tink (kennel name “CGH Brokenroad I Believe in Fairies”) and Potter (kennel name Ch Houla’s Potter), all dogs we “partied” with on Sunday. Over the next few minutes, the rest of the field arrived…Pirata, Moxie, Miguel and Carolina. The 8th Podengo was a no show. I asked, how does a dog not show up for it’s greatest moment…a Westminster competition? The possible reasons are things I’d never thought of. A bitch can be in heat, the dog could be sick, who knows. I felt bad for #8.

Champs: Stacy w/Tango
& Georgina w/Tink

I wasted no time in positioning myself right at the rope. Watching those feisty hounds prance around the ring, being encouraged by their handlers to stay energized, was quite the sight. I have to say I was rooting for Potter, because I’d just met Carol Houlihan, his owner and breeder, like her a lot,  and we have a mutual friend. Plus, Potter is such a handsome guy! So, I felt disappointed for her and David, Potter’s handler/trainer, when he didn’t place. However, the dog who won we also had met, so was excited for them. Stacy Faw, Tango’s owner and handler, had a grin on ear to ear when judge Mrs. Pamela B. Peat made the announcement her pup had placed first. Quite the feat for this little guy from Indiana! And, that Stacy is both owner and handler, she’s got a different kind of skin in the game. Tango is her baby. You could see that, both on Sunday at the hotel, the way she cuddled him and spoke with him (you might remember I mentioned that Tango was the most affectionate Podengo I’d ever met), and that morning at the ring. Tango comes from Carol’s kennel – Houla’s Kennels – so as the breeder, that was a win for Carol, too. Tink placed second. After congratulating Stacy and Georgina Nagy, her owner, and taking some pics of Tango and Tink, I moseyed around the exhibitors booths for a bit.

They had some cute things and, being the professional shopper I am, of course I spent some money I don’t have on stuff for Sophie! An adorable pale pink velvet collar and matching leash, and an amber colored fancy beaded leash later, I beeline’d for the door, out into the NYC freeze. I rationalized the purchases, reminding myself that the amber leash, while really, really pretty, was also going to a great cause; Angel On A Leash. Angel is a non-profit that creates therapy dog programs in healthcare and other facilities around the country. Sophie and I are an animal assisted therapy team and we are very supportive of therapy dog programs. They can make such a difference in a person’s life; we’ve seen it first hand.

Hound Group Line Up

Fast forward to that evening. With Tango now participating in the Hound Group at Madison Square Garden, that was my next stop. It had been a couple of years since I’d gone to Westminster; as a child, my parents used to take me every year like clockwork. It was an anticipated ritual; my dad was a big dog lover and so am I. Walking through the backstage area, I got a rush. The excitement was palpable. After a quick hello to Stacy and Tango, I positioned myself with the photographers at ringside. I’d never watched Westminster from this vantage point before, except on TV from my couch. It was really thrilling! We were about 8 feet away from the small dog table where half the field were placed for the judge’s inspection. I’d made sure the table on my end of the arena was where the Podengo would be placed. 🙂

The competing dogs were each so stunning a representation of their breed,  it must be very hard to choose who deserves to place. The bloodhound, whose taut muscles and jowly muzzle swayed when he walked; the Irish Wolfhound, who looked like a handsome furry bear; the Saluki, whose long, silky ear and tail hair shone in the lights…they were all gorgeous!

Tango doing his turn

One by one, the dogs did their turns around the ring. When it came to Tango, he was a star. He pranced with vitality; stood motionless in perfect position on the table and presented like the champion pup he is. And while the judge looked him over a couple of times, unfortunately, Tango wasn’t called out as a favorite. That beautiful 135 lb Bloodhound, Nathan, took top honors. I hear he’s not only a sniffing hound, but also a smooching hound. Apparently, on a promo visit to NYC last week, he kissed a couple of cheerleaders at a NY Knicks game. Smart boy!

While disappointed that Tango the Podengo didn’t place, I have high hopes. This year is just the first; there are many more years of Podengo’s showing at Westminster. Maybe we’ll get lucky.

Until next time…

Hound Group Winner:
Nathan the Bloodhound