pet connection

Do not read if you don’t want to know who wins.

The hounds are in the house! My Afghan-fancying seatmate, Joanne Anderson, is taking a photo of the Afghan, although it wasn’t the one she wanted to win. They seem to be going through the breeds very quickly tonight, perhaps because this is a group with 26 members.

As I sat in the stands earlier today, I was amused to see Dachshunds in one ring, with Borzoi in the ring just down from them. Gave new meaning to the phrase “the long (tall) and the short of it.” There’s nothing more graceful than a sighthound’s gait. Or more charming than a longhaired black-and-tan Dachshund lying belly up in his young handler’s lap. “He was lying like that when I passed here six hours ago,” says a man as he walks through the benching area.

Susan’s Bloodhound, Rita, is being examined and gets lots of applause. Bloodhounds are often crowd favorites. That, or Susan has a good cheering section here. Even though Bloodhounds have made it to the Best-in-Show lineup previously, they’re always bridesmaids, never the bride.

Wow, the Harrier is getting lots of applause. There were only two entered in the show. Now I’m watching the Otterhound. I don’t usually notice that breed, but this one really stands out.

I’m so attracted to these classic breeds. They have such a history behind them. Even though there are surely differences, you know that if you traveled back in time 2,000 years, you’d be able to recognize the ancestors of many of them.

It’s being announced, as it is every year, that the Pharaoh Hound is one of the most ancient of breeds. I seem to recall, however, that DNA testing showed that it was a relatively recent creation. I guess it makes a more interesting story to say that they were the dogs of the Pharaohs.

I wonder what the Plotts think of a dog show like this. Is navigating New York and the Garden as satisfying as hunting bear?

I’ll leave it to Christie to blog about the Deerhound. She probably knows him. Seeing the Whippet reminds me of Vivi, the Whippet who was lost at the airport two years ago and never found.

The judge is making his cut. Rita was not among them. Sigh. Gina may be right with her Beagle prediction. The crowd loves him. But they also love the PBGV. Crowds are fickle. Of course, what the judge thinks is an entirely different matter. He’s pulling out the Beagle, followed by the longhaired Dachshund. The 15-inchBeagle Ch. K-Run’s Park Me In First takes it, living up to his name. He was also the Hound Group winner at Eukanuba. He’s won everything this year, a bystander says.