Montgomery County Kennel Club photos by Matthew Stander
Certainly weather-wise, this weekend was one of the most unusual “Montgomery” weekends ever! Summer-type temperatures were the norm with rather high humidity. Perhaps the happiest people of the weekend were the store owners at the King of Prussia Mall, where most cross-country exhibitors and visitors found themselves going to buy summer-related clothing as opposed to the fall gear brought for the weekend. Furthermore, the uniqueness of the weekend was extended beyond the dreams of most people when the lovely and young, talented daughter of Wood Wornall, Jennifer, succeeded in guiding her charge to Best in Show on Sunday, equaling a feat accomplished three times before by her father. This is the first time, to my knowledge, that a father-daughter pair has handled Best-in-Show-winning exhibits at Montgomery. And, I dare say, based upon the way Jennie handles herself in the ring, it will not be the last time we see this young lady’s exhibits awarded this honor in that ring!
Let’s start at the beginning and work onwards. Thursday at Hatboro was hot and humid. By the time the Sealy was awarded the Terrier Group and then Best in Show, the weather had cooled down somewhat. Over 2,000 dogs were entered. Friday, as was Thursday, was spread over a larger area than usual with both Kerries and Airedales being exhibited in inadequate-type animal sheds which, to my mind, did not fit the occasion. On the part of the Airedales, I hear they requested these arrangements. I don’t know about the Kerries. I thought the show spirit suffered from these breeds not actively competing in close proximity whilst the other breeds were being judged. The spectators were lost in the hinterlands, and for me, the shows just never took off. I hope next year they return to the ring set-ups of years past. Friday’s show, too, lacked the pizzazz I normally associate with Hatboro, notwithstanding the over-400 dog increase of the next day. Again, the Sealy prevailed with comparative ease, or so I thought anyways.
I must say the excitement of new discoveries for the two days, in terms of terriers, was rather limited. A Kerry class bitch from England won both her breeds and caught the eye and admiration of the cognoscenti, whilst the Smooth, which won the Sweeps (and the Breed at Devon) the next day, on the day impressed many. The Kerry won the breed at Montgomery and made the first pull. Personally, it’s been a long time since I’ve been so impressed with a newcomer.
Saturday was Devon, and despite the problems of the set-up for the venue—and believe me, there were many—the overall effect of the show was both electric and somewhat akin to the heyday of the Robsons. This despite the many internal problems being faced by the club. The final line-up was as good as any seen anywhere, and I must attribute this to the judging panel. Not that the judging panel was bad at Hatboro, but many breeds were judged by people whose expertise were in areas other than those one might expect them to be. Devon, with its increased entries (to over 2,500), seemed more directed to known breed expertise than did the days before. This, of course, is a personal observation with which others are more than free to disagree. Best in Show was the Sealy—oops, wrong! Best in Show was awarded by the known Sammy breeder Mrs. McFarlane to a Sammy! This bitch is bred by the handler Andrew Green’s wife and owned by her, too. Her name is Amy Kiell-Green, a well-known Yankee fan whose win carried the Yanks to the Sunday win over the Indians. Let’s see how far she can carry them now. The line-up was terrific, I thought, with a Collie I had never seen before more than catching my eye, as did the Bichon, the Peke, the Gordon, and, of course, the Sealy, too.
Sunday dawned bright and early for most, although the terrier people had infiltrated the grounds in Blue Bell the day before, setting up chairs around the rings as though they were prized possessions. Motor homes galore, too many with pups too young to be anywhere but at home. I think the grounds and the tent are way, way above par, and the venue has begun to settle in as a very worthwhile, workable and eye-pleasing site. By mid-afternoon the atmosphere was electric with tension and the crowds trying hard to avoid the sun. Fortunately, the cloud breaks were frequent, so that the heat never totally overwhelmed, but just barely was this the case. As per usual the great majority of the breeds broke at the same time, so that the buzz ran the length of that magnificent white tent about who did what, where, and when. Jim McTernan did a great job as show chair—no easy task either, as Josephine was missed by one and all. Brace time came and the excitement was reaching new heights as a fine Smooth team won those accolades. Next came what everyone was waiting for, as Michael Dougherty, an old friend, entered the ring. I could not help but think of how proud Mike’s father, who also was a friend of mine, would have been of Mike at that time. He made his first break to include 11 exhibits and then cut it down to a total of six. His choice of the Airedale was understated as the crowd roared for its favorite—the Sealy. Maybe the crowd was too vociferous, insofar as the Sealy was concerned, but I always thought the Airedale was going all the way once it got out of the breed. The return of Rufus surprised many, but he sure looked great. The Airedale certainly succeeded in reversing last year’s result, as it went second in 2006 to the Rangel Sealy. This year, the tables got turned as the “Good” Sealy was awarded second this time.
It was a great Montgomery, in the grand tradition of the show for which we should all be extremely thankful. •
