The 142nd annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, televised nationally on Feb. 12th and 13th, is considered at the Super Bowl of all dog shows, and is also the second oldest sporting event in the country.
To achieve an invitation to compete in the prestigious event, you have to have one of the best dogs in the country, as well as one of the best handlers in the country.
Brittany Greendeer, daughter of Jon “Maasusga” Greendeer and Stacy Sieber, has achieved such an honor.
But getting there wasn't easy. Brittany has been competing at shows throughout the country all year to be able to enter the show, held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
"Westminster is the most intense and most competitive dog show on the planet. In order to get into Westminster either you're in the top five dogs in the breed or your dog is an AKC Champion of Record,” she said.
“I had a lot of fun. There's a lot of tension, but it's all in good fun—everyone had a great time,” Brittany said.
There are many things to do besides being in the ring, she said. There's New York to hang out in, she said. She went to Central Park and Times Square. The only other time she had been to the Big Apple was during a high school orchestra trip.
The show is not as glamorous as it might seem to the casual viewer. It requires a lot of dedication and hard work behind the scenes.
“You have to get there pretty early in the morning. On Monday, I left my hotel at 5:30 am, got on a shuttle bus and headed over to the piers, where breed judging is held” she said. “You can only take the dog in that you're going to show that day so when I was showing Zilean, Quill was at the hotel and vice versa.” At the hotel, an assistant was hired to care for the other dog during the daytime, as well as move the heavy grooming equipment around.
“When you arrive, you're assigned a bench space, which is like a cubbyhole that you can put all of your stuff. You can get your grooming table and crate set up, but you have to stay there until 5 p.m.,” Brittany said.
Westminster is only one of three benched shows in the country. At every other show—which happen nearly every weekend of the calendar year—you can come and go at your convenience. “You actually need to be there during the specified benching time and they do come around to check to make sure you're there. You can get into a lot of trouble if you're not.”
Although two of her qualified dogs were left home for various reasons, the other two did get their chance to shine. The first was her own dog, an Australian Shepherd named Zilean, more formally Grand Champion Riot’s Chronokeeper. The other was a rare breed of hunting dog called a Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla. Champion Zoldmali Fanni “Quill” was the number one female of the breed in 2017. She is owned by Megan and Eric Wallendal of Grand Marsh, WI.
On the first day, Zilean—a dog she bred out of her first grand champion show dog and raised from puppyhood—was the youngest dog of his breed to compete by a wide margin, despite an large entry of 31 champion Australian Shepherds.
Though Zilean didn’t win any awards, Greendeer was not disappointed. “He wasn't there to win in any way, shape, or form though it would have been exciting.” Her goal was for other breeders and exhibitors of Australian Shepherds watching around the world to see him at this level of competition. “You want to show them what you have. That's why Zilean was there.”
Quill, however, was there for another reason. After spending a year campaigning across the country, she secured her place as the top female in the country, and was just a couple of points shy of being the top overall Wirehaired Vizsla. She did not disappoint at Westminster either. After an intense competition and performance, the judge chose another male for Best of Breed, and Quill for Best of Opposite Sex.
As for the future, the owners of Quill plan to have her bred this year and the best of those puppies will follow in their mother’s pawprints. In the meantime, she will be continue to be shown. Zilean’s mother, Rhea, will also be welcoming a litter of puppies, one of which will go to Brittany’s own sister, Rio.
“We're going to have a lot of puppies this year,” she said.
Quill's owners will be also be importing two new dogs, also Wirehaired Vizslas, from Hungary in late March. “If they do well, we will show them seriously, like Quill,” Brittany said. “If not, we will bring Quill out for another year or two.”
Once the dogs arrive, she will start training them to show and getting them ready, getting the distinct harsh, wire coat prepared. It can take up to take six weeks to prepare a coat for the ring. Brittany plans to start showing them later in the year and will make a decision on which dog to go forward with. “I have a pretty good idea at this point but until I see them in person, I won’t be able to make that call,” she said.
“I'm really thankful for all the support that I have, not just from family and friends, but the whole nation. I knew when I stepped in the ring, I wasn’t just there to represent myself or my breeding program. I was there for the Nation and to represent our people in a sport with a fairly biased demographic. It would have been a much different experience without that support and I may have shed a couple tears.”
If anyone wants to contact her, if he or she are thinking about getting started in dog shows, she is willing to offer her help. Her email address is bgreendeer@gmail.com.