Editorial: October 17, 2025

It was the weekend of weekends. First we gathered for the Morris & Essex Kennel Club dog show. It might have been a slow start to an action packed weekend, but those of us who understand the the logistics of getting all those cars and trucks onto the grounds takes time. Patience is a virtue. 

It only happens once every five years. Years ago when entries were regularly in the thousands it took time to get onto the show grounds. Today with most entries in the hundreds, one can forget the early morning lines of waiting to to enter the show grounds. Now back to this very special weekend that brought two of the best and most prestigious dog shows in the United States just days apart: Morris & Essex KC and Montogmery County KC. Starting with the record number of entries at Morris & Essex, it was a weekend filled with national, regional and supported entries. Nestled between Morris & Essex and Montgomery are the back to back Hatboro and Devon Dog Club events. All quality shows that hold their own. The Sunday finale of the weekend is the incomparable and unique Montgomery County Kennel Club. Dedicated to terriers since 1929, it is an all breed club that only offers classes for all terrier breeds. The 33 breeds and varieties that compete in the terrier group gathered back at the Macungie Memorial Park. There were 22 national specialties with 4 supported specialties bringing together 1416 terriers for a total entry of 1778. The sight of all those terriers is so impressive given the low entries of terriers week in and week out. Kudos to the leadership of Montgomery president Bruce Schwartz and vice present and show chairman Kenneth Kauffman and the members. It’s hard to keep a feisty group of “terrier people” happy but they manage to keep it all under control. Fittingly, this year’s show was dedicated to the late Airedale fancier and longtime member Dr. Suzanne Hampton. This year’s group (best in show) judge was the very knowledgeable and popular Welsh terrier breeder Richard Powell, whose selection was the Scottish Terrier, Ch. Invercrest Dark Intrigue Via Macblain handled by Ernesto Lara, bred by Dr. Carol Bain & Lori Tuttle and owned by Daphne Eggert, who was present to witness this wonderful win. In the terrier world, winning Montgomery is comparable to winning Westminster. Five days of exceptional weather, a rarity, shined down on a very special dog show on a very special weekend of dog shows. A special weekend one should never miss. There is no other show that offers that many national specialties held together on one day. No matter your breed of interest it is a sight to behold.