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Photos courtesy American Kennel Club
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After a two-day competition filled with meticulous grooming, strong poses, and deliberate struts, it was a Sealyham Terrier from Pennsylvania who surpassed close to 2,500 other glamorous dogs to win the Best in Show title at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in Long Beach, Calif., Dec. 1-2.
Under the bright lights of the city’s convention center, Ch. Efbe’s Hidalgo at Goodspice (also knows as Charmin) stood amongst six other dogs who had also maneuvered through the competition beating out others in their breed and group securing spots in the final round of the competition. But the sole spot on the podium belonged to the Sealyham Terrier after Judge Miss Maxine V. Beam of Fort Worth, Texas, declared him the Best in Show.
“We welcome Charmin and his proud owners to the elite group who have become part of dog show royalty by being crowned the AKC/Eukanuba National Champion,” said AKC Chairman Ron Menaker.
Sandra Middlebrooks and Margery and Richard Good of Cochranville, Pa., are the owners of 3-year-old Charmin and will take home a $50,000 prize.
Charmin represented the Terrier group in the finals. Other group winners competing for Best in Show were:
Sporting: Weimaraner, Ch. Colsidex Seabreeze Perfect Fit (Marge), from Woodstock, Conn.
Hound: Beagle, Ch. K-Run’s Park Me in First (Uno), from Columbia, Mo.
Working: Akita, Ch. Redwitch Reason to Believe (Macey), from Millneck, N.Y.
Toy: Toy Poodle, Ch. Smash JP Win a Victory (Vikki), from Dillsbury, Pa.
Non-Sporting: Standard Poodle, Ch. Randenn Tristar Affirmation (Yes), from New York City.
Herding: German Shepherd Dog, Kaleef’s Geneva Aeval-Achtung (Geneva), from Carrollton, Ga.
The competition will be broadcast on Animal Planet and Discovery Channel from 8 to 11 p.m. (ET/PT) on Feb. 2, 2008.
The Eukanuba World Challenge was an inaugural event at this year’s competition and featured top dogs from 40 countries who were vying for the world champion title. The dogs were divided into three categories based on their geographic locations – Europe and Africa; Asia and Australia; and The Americas (including Canada).
One dog was selected from each category to compete in the final round of the competition, where an American Cocker Spaniel from Switzerland was named the first-ever World Challenge Champion. The other two finalists were a Doberman from Argentina and a Border Collie from Japan.
For a complete list of winners including agility, obedience, and Junior Showmanship, visit www.akc.org.