Connecticut pooches sure have reason to wag their tails this week after taking the doggie world by storm Tuesday.
Stump, a 10-year-old Sussex Spaniel from Redding, broke a record Tuesday when he took Best in Show at the 133’rd annual Westminster Dog Show in New York City.
Stump’s victory was one of the most improbable in the 133-year history of the most storied dog show in the United States. He was the oldest pup, and first of his breed, to win the title, according to Reuters. He came out of five years of retirement to compete and one of his owners called the win nothing less than miraculous.
Oh, he also took Best in Breed – all in a dog-day’s work.
Although yesterday’s Best in Show win was Stump’s biggest, he is no stranger to the winner’s circle. He has won 51 Best in Show’s in his storied career.
Stump was sidelined in 2005 when he fell seriously ill, according to the New York Times, but as Stump’s health came back to form, he returned to strutting his stuff in the doggy circuit.
Stump - owned by Scott Sommer, Cecilia Ruggles and Beth Dowd - also has a name much more fitting for the prestigious canine beauty pageant - Ch Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee.
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By the way, Stump was born Dec. 1, 1998, in case you want to send him a card.
His folks likely had some high hopes for his competitive future. He is, after all, the spawn of the vaunted Ch Three D Genghis Khan and Ch Clussexx Sprinkled With Dew.
But Stump wasn’t all Connecticut had to offer.
Four-year-old whippet Glory Bound whipped up a victory in Best in Breed. Good ol’ Glory did her Stamford-based groomer/mother proud. The groomer’s pups have been competing in the Westminster show for five years now.
Glory Bound was chosen out of a group of 18 whippets, standing out to be, well, the best.
Greenwich pooches Bridget, a 3-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and Hercules, a 6-year-old Havanese, also competed in the world-famous competition.
Unfortunately the two show-stoppers didn’t place, but their owners were proud none-the-less.
It’s safe to say that these Connecticut dogs had their day yesterday.
