WWW: THE HERDING GROUP

GCH CH Bugaboo’s Picture Perfect 

(Photo by Bettina Bienfeld)

This year’s Westminster Kennel Club Herding Group is likely to be the show’s biggest media magnet.  Whom should Watch at Westminster (WWW) in the Herding Group?  Last year the New York crowd got behind the young Old English Sheepdog from the classes, Bugaboo’s Picture Perfect, early and shook the arena with their applause for the WKC’s very first RBIS.  He’s now GCH CH Bugaboo’s Picture Perfect, finishing 2013 as the Number One Herding Dog and the Number Ten Dog All Breeds with 23 BIS and 56 Group Ones.   

This year Swagger has one of the best starts of any dog in recent memory, winning BIS at both Palm Springs and Portland, to bring his 2014 take to six BIS, two RBIS, and eight Group Ones.  Swagger was bred and is owned by handler Colton Johnson, who co-owns Swagger with fellow breeders Heather Johnson, Douglas & Michaelanne Johnson, and owners Ron Scott & Debbie Burke.

GCH CH Wolf Creek’s Galaxy of Merivern

As formidable as Swagger has been, he isn’t invulnerable.  He was bested at Eukanuba by 2013’s Number Four Herding Dog, the German Shepherd, GCH CH Wolf Creek’s Galaxy of Merivern.  Galaxy, who had 13 BIS and 70 Herding Groups last year.  This year Galaxy comes into the Garden with  one BIS, one RBIS, & ten Herding Groups.  This year’s Herding Group judge, Judge Walter Sommerfelt, had Swagger and Galaxy in the same Herding Group back in Louisville in March and put The OES one and the GSD two, but that was almost a year ago.  Galaxy was bred by Pat Walker & Mary Ann Imhoff, is owned by Pat & Edward Farrell, and handled by Scott Yergin.

GCH CH CordmakerTopsy Turvey

Handler Linda Pitts won back-to-back Herding Groups at Westminster with the Puli, CH Cordmaker Field of Dreams, in 2009 and 2010.   This year she has another Cordmaker Puli, GCH CH Cordmaker Topsy Turvey.  Charlotte had three BIS and 79 Herding Groups in 2013 and has collected two BIS and five Group Ones this year.  Charlotte was bred by Sue Huebner, who co-owns Charlotte with Jacquelyn Beaudoin & Penny Kelly.

 

GCH CH Take Aim’s Playing for Gryffindor

The Bouvier des Flandres, GCH CH Take Aim’s Playing for Gryffindor, had a pretty good 2013 with three BIS and 28 Herding Groups, but he has really caught fire this year, picking up five all breed Bests, one RBIS, and seven Group Ones.  Gryf was bred Anthony & Mo DiMercurio  & Mo Hieronimus, Sue Digiorno, & Lee Calhoun.  The DiMercurios co-own Gryf with Terry & Penny Peterson.  Gryf is handled by Larry Fenner.