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Best Dog Is Truly A Survivor

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The Associated Press

Published: February 11, 2009

Updated: 02/11/2009 12:33 am

An old Sussex spaniel taught dogdom a new trick.

At 10, Stump became the oldest best in show winner ever at the Westminster Kennel Club, coming out of retirement only last week and walking off with the top prize Tuesday night.

A nearly full crowd at New York's Madison Square Garden cheered loudly when judge Sari Tietjen pointed to the new champion.

Perhaps the fans knew Stump's backstory: He almost died in 2004 from a medical condition, saved by the vets at Texas A&M University.

"It was miraculous," expert handler Scott Sommer said.

Or perhaps the people just liked rooting for the old guy. He's almost 70 in human years!

Never before had a Sussex spaniel won the nation's top pooch show. The previous oldest winner was 8.

With floppy ears and a slow gait, the golden-red Stump beat out a sparkling field. Sommer guided him past a giant schnauzer that was ranked the nation's No. 1 show dog, a favored Brussels griffon, a Scottish deerhound named Tiger Woods, a standard poodle with 94 best in show wins, a Scottish terrier and a puli.

The two-day show at Madison Square Garden began with 170 breeds and varieties and some 2,500 entrants.

Stump succeeds last year's winner, Uno, the first beagle to win the honor since the event was founded in 1877.

With a bounce in his step, Stump is sure to win over plenty of people while he reigns for a year.

Stump won the sporting group at Westminster in 2004, then went into retirement. Soon after, he nearly wasted away and spent 19 days in a pet hospital.

"It was very traumatic," Sommer said.

Once he recovered, Stump mostly spent his days hanging out with Sommer, living a dog's life. That was more than fine with Sommer. He'd already handled a great bichon frise to the best in show at Westminster in 2001, and wasn't looking for Stump to try again.

Then five days before this show, Sommer thought Stump might enjoy one last walk on the green carpet at the Garden. And what a walk it was.

Information from Bloomberg News was used in this report.

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