A Peke Takes It all--Or Does He?

I know, I know I shouldn't still be writing about Westminster, but frankly I am deeply disappointed that Malachy, the Pekingnese won Best in Show. It is not that I dislike Pekingnese--I actually had one when I was a teenager and I adored that dog--but to be honest, she looked absolutely NOTHING like the winner--who I think looked like a waddling toadstool, the kind you are not supposed to eat.

Let's be clear. Snoopy, my beloved Peke who loved to swim--yes she once jumped into a friend's decorative goldfish pond--looked much more like the painting above, which is actually what all Pekes looked like until hair mouse was invented.

Let's contrast that with a photo of the actual winner.



See what I mean about the hair mouse?

In any event, on a larger scale, I kept hearing David Frei talk about the fact that these show dogs were just "regular" dogs that like to hang out with their owners, sleep on the bed, walk in the park, etc.

This winner defies that description. Maybe he is a regular dog, but he sure doesn't look like it. In addition, Malachy's win also seems to reinforce the stereotype that there are a lot of internal politics at play in this sport. He has been around for a while on the show dog circuit--and perhaps the time came to recognize him for paying his dues.

Actually David Greene, over on Honest Dog says it way better that I can, reinforcing my gut assumption that anyone else in that Best of Show ring (for the record, I was rooting for the Dalmatian) would have done more for the sport than the winner.