Niagara man to judge Westminster Dog Show
Stephen Dainard will be going to the dogs in February — and he can’t wait.
The Niagara Falls man will be one of the judges at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City.
“Regardless of where you come from, there is a community around dog shows,” he said.
“We all have a shared passion for purebred dogs and there really are no borders.”
This is his first judging assignment at Westminster.
“It is truly an honour to be able to represent Canada,” he said.
Dainard will officiate over several breeds during the competition including American water spaniels, Boykin spaniels, Cocker spaniels and English springer spaniels.
“Every kennel club has a written breed standard of what the ideal dog should look like. We are picking dogs that most closely represent that ideal.”
Born and raised in Toronto, Dainard and his family have called Niagara Falls home for more than six years.
The 53-year-old comes from a second-generation dog show family.
He began showing dogs in the late 1970s, when his family started showing flat-coated retrievers and English springer spaniels.
“It started out as a family hobby,” he recalled. “We started going to dog shows regularly and soon we were on the road every weekend.”
As an adult, he and his wife Kelly bred and showed their own award-winning English springer spaniels.
Dainard is licensed as an allbreed judge with the Canadian Kennel Club and has judged across Canada and the United States as well as Australia, Colombia, Mexico and South Korea.
The 142nd Westminster Dog Show will be held Feb. 10 to 13, with the Best in Show finals being held at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 13. More than 3,000 dogs compete at the annual dog show.