New Dogs, New Tricks
“NEW YORK…The Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen
& the Nederlandse Kooikerhondje make their debuts at the Westminster Kennel
Club dog show… each getting a nationally televised turn among the more than 190
breeds on the green carpet at the nation’s premier canine contest.
But Buzz Lightyear, for one, seems to be
taking his breed’s big moment in stride. The 4 year old Grand Basset Griffon
Vendeen…glanced out at the cameras at a recent Westminster preview news
conference, looked up at owner Brielly Cipriotti & then lay down on the
rostrum to do a couple of things his breed does best: sniff around & induce
smiles.
‘They’re extremely sweet, & they have a
big, goofy attitude,’ Cipriotti, of Bealeton, Va., said later. She’s excited
about the exposure that the breed- a low-slung, long- eared, hardy hound
developed in France to hunt rabbits & hare- stands to gain from
Westminster.
About 3,200 dogs, ranging from wee Malteses to
strapping Mastiffs, are entered to compete at this month’s show, which includes
agility & obedience competitions along with the breed judging that leads to
the signature Best in Show trophy…
The relatively new agility & obedience
contests are open to mixed- breed dogs…
New breeds appear at Westminster after
getting recognized by the American Kennel Club. The process takes years &
includes setting standards & having hundreds of dogs spread around the
country.
The merry, clever Nederlandse
Kooikerhondje…was initially trained to help Dutch duck hunters by attracting
the bird’s interest & then luring them into net-covered canals.
‘It’s the Pied Piper of the dog world,’ said
owner Rod Beckstead of Jim Thorpe, Pa., as she showed off 2 year old Bandit.
The breed remains versatile & easy to
teach to do dog sports & other things; some even serve as cadaver dogs, he
said…”
Jennifer
Peltz
The
Associated Press
The
Gazette, Montreal
Feb.
5/2019
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