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Best in Show!

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Best in Show!
Photo by R.J. Blackman

We love our pets, ohh yes we do! For those out there who are doubters, or skeptical, or maybe even cynical – well, sorry, to those we say, definitively, yes – yes, the dog show can be considered a sport! And for good measure. There’s quite a lot that goes into presenting a show dog.

Speaking of quite a lot going into something…

Americans spend over $60 Billion, yeah, with a “B,” Billion – $60 Billion per year, on their pets…

So, for the dog show to be considered a sport, that’s really a no-brainer, right?

If you don’t believe, then what have you to say about horse racing? Are horses not athletic?!? Can’t animals be athletic? Yes, yes – for sure and for certain. They can!!

I’ve even heard it said that the greatest single athletic performance of the 20th Century was Secretariat’s 1973 win at The Belmont Stakes. So yes, animals can be athletic. Secretariat was athletic. And dogs too, can be athletic.

As for the cynics… Oscar Wilde said, “A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing.”

So think again, eh? Dogs can be athletic too…

This week, at this year’s Westminster Dog Show, the premiere dog show event in America (and maybe even the world!!)

– like, Westminster is the Super Bowl of Dog shows

(this is not to be confused with the Supper Bowl, for dogs, which is a whole ‘nother matter)

– still, at Westminster, this year, the winner of the Best in Show title was Flynn, a Bichon Frise.

Flynn is no stranger to Dog Shows…he has won 42 Best in Show events in his career – but, this was his first win at Westminster. Not surprisingly, he is expected to retire now, after winning this event.

So, this year, a Bichon Frise is America’s Top Dog. Not the easiest kind of dog breed name to pronounce. To assist, it’s pronounced “B’sh-awn Frizz-eh” and it trickles right off your tongue. For the record, they are lap dogs, as in, they love to sit in your lap and lick your face. And – as seen above…they are white, and fluffy – and athletic!

Without exception, the Biochon Frise is considered by dog-breeders and pet-sitters everywhere, to be an “athletic dog.”

Pictured above is the greatest Bichon of all time. Her name is Dash. Not that hard to say. Around our house, she is the best dog in the world every day of the year!

I bet yours is too. J

But for Dash…perhaps even a cynic can’t help but smile at that pic, eh?

For all you animal lovers…enjoy your pet today, and every day!!

Cheers!!

Sources:

Addady, M. (2016). This is how much Americans spend on their dogs. (August 26,

2016). Fortune.com. Retrieved, February 2018. Available: http://fortune.com /2016/08/26/pet-industry/

Salam, M., Stack, L. and Whiteside, K. (2018). Westminster Dog Show 2018: Flynn is

Best in Show, (February 13, 2018). The New York Times. Retrieved February 2018. Available: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/13/sports/westminster-dog-show.html

By Dr. Rodney J. Blackman

Dr. Rodney J. Blackman is the Chair of Recreation Management at the United States Sports Academy, and can be reached at rblackman@ussa.edu.

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