NEW YORK — Imagine if the NFL players competing in the Super Bowl were asked, on the day of the game, to stand in public, chat with fans, surrounded by the media and with cameras constantly in their faces.
That’s the life of a dog that already qualified for the Best in Show judging at the Westminster Dog Show thanks to a win in Best in Group, and it has the potential to be a huge stress on both the canines and handlers.
The show is more than just about handing out hardware to extremely good dogs. It’s also a show of another sort, a chance to help people and potential owners understand the intricacies of each breed by getting up close.
Bono the Havanese won Best of the Toy group, marking a return to the Best in Show ring for the second year in a row after finishing as runner-up in 2019. So while Bono is a pro, it doesn’t make it any easier on owner Taffe McFadden.
“It takes a lot of energy for the dogs and for us,” she says. “There’s a lot of energy here on the pier, and it’s a completely different energy at Madison Square Garden because it’s so packed with people and everybody wants to take a picture of your dog and asks how much they weigh.
“As an ambassador,” she continues, “you have to be there, you have to be civil, you have to answer the questions, because we’re trying to promote purebred dogs. But in the same token, you’re worried your dog will be too tired for the final event.”
But she has some strategies, after Bono’s rested while the crowd at Pier 94 swirled around: pampering. Lots of it.
“I’m going to go out and get him a really yummy steak so that he’s really keyed into it for Best in Show,” she says. “He has a massage booked for later on.”
If you’re lucky, you’re handler Paul Clas, who stayed with Siba the standard poodle — winner of the Non-Sporting Group — before his wife would take the dog around the ring Tuesday night. His canine was more than happy to sit around.
“Poodles are good at that,” Clas says. “She’ll zonk out on her side and be in a deep sleep while we wait another two hours for Best in Show.”
“You have to have a dog that can relax, they can get rest, they’re not stressed,” he adds, “because then they can go in the ring and give out that energy they need.”
But what about the handlers and owners? It’s a very public way to wait and think about what’s ahead, especially if you’ve never been under the bright lights of The Garden, under the watchful eye of the Best in Show judge.
“Nothing’s like Westminster,” says Tyler Crady, the owner of Conrad the Shetland sheepdog, winner of the Herding group on Monday night. “This is our best event, our Super Bowl.”
So while Conrad was content to sit with Crady and watch well-wishers come say hi, the owner admits his nerves ahead of his first-ever Best in Show, and the advice he got from handlers with more experience.
“Stay calm, breathe and take your time walking in the ring,” he says. “I have no tips other than, ‘please don’t trip.'”