RUMOR ADVANCES
The stage for Best in Show is nearly set.
The winners of the hound, toy, non-sporting and herding groups were announced Monday night at the 140th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show held at Madison Square Garden. Now the German shepherd, bulldog, borzoi and shih tzu will have the chance to compete for Westminster’s top honor.
Without question, the biggest round of applause of the night went to the winner of the herding group, a German shepherd named Rumor.
Minutes after she took the ribbon, the 4-year-old jumped up on handler Kent Boyles, but sights already were set on something else. “Well, we’re going to be hoping what everyone else is hoping for,” he said of the coveted Best In Show prize awarded Tuesday. “But most- ly (we hope) just that she enjoys herself and shows really well. If she does that, that’s all we can ask out of her.”
Owner Pamela Buckles fielded congratulations moments after Rumor glided across the floor with an eager trot, showcasing her powerful frame and mix of deep rust, black and gray body.
“Her heart,” Buckles said when asked what she loves most about Rumor. “The love and affection she shows me. I just think she’s beautiful.”
Judge Dorothy N. Collier picked Rumor over the Australian shepherd, border collie and puli.
In the non-sporting group, a bulldog named Annabelle wasn’t far behind in the night’s popularity contest. As she won the group, she stopped to look up, almost as if she was trying to catch a quick glimpse of her victory lap on the Jumbotron.
“I judged Annabelle when she was 6 months old, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her,” handler Jean Hetherington said. “Then about four months later, the owners approached me and asked if I wanted to handle her, and I just said yes.”