Westminster dog show 2011: Scottish deerhound Hickory wins Best in Show
It's official: History was made when judge Paolo Dondina of Italy awarded the Westminster Kennel Club dog show's coveted Best in Show title to Hickory, a Scottish deerhound, on Tuesday night.
Hickory, a 5-year-old female whose full name is GCH Foxcliffe Hickory Wind (the GCH stands for Grand Champion), is the first Scottish deerhound ever to win Best in Show at Westminster.
She emerged victorious, surprising many, over a field of better-known champions, including four dogs that ranked in the top 10 American show dogs of all breeds last year -- a Pekingese named Malachy, a black cocker spaniel named Beckham, a bearded collie named Mister Baggins and a smooth fox terrier named Adam.
Hickory has an impressive show record of her own: she was ranked fifth among all American show dogs from the Hound group last year. But few thought a Scottish deerhound -- a rather rare breed that is sometimes mistaken for the more famous Irish wolfhound -- would go on to win Best in Show.
Vegas odds-maker Johnny Avello, handicapping the likely winners at Westminster, gave the Scottish deerhound 60-to-1 odds to win.
But Hickory was at the top of her game in her final show before retirement; she "went in there tonight and she showed like she's never shown before," handler Angela Lloyd told the New York Times. "She was solid and steady and even through all of the lights and cameras and the noise and spotlights, she came right through it."
The shy deerhound's poise will be tested over the coming days; she has many public appearances to make before returning to her home, a farm in Virginia, where her owners hope she'll have a litter of puppies later this year.
[Correction, 10:54 p.m.: An earlier version of this post mistakenly listed Terrier group winner Adam as a toy fox terrier. He is a smooth fox terrier, and we've corrected the error.]
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-- Lindsay Barnett
Photo: Hickory wins the Hound group on Tuesday prior to her Best in Show win. Credit: Mike Segar / Reuters
It's about time a dog of "substance" wins!! Frou-frous have won far too many times! YEAH!!!!!
Posted by: syb | February 15, 2011 at 11:43 PM
It's official. News (both online and offline) in the Los Angeles market is garbage.
Posted by: H | February 15, 2011 at 11:59 PM
A bunch of rich folks perpetuating the myth that pure beeds (i.e., dogs bred for specific traits people like to see, overcoming what would prevail naturally) are better than mixed bredds. They keep breeding the special breeds while tens of thousands of dogs wait in shelters for homes (most are eventually killed). When shelter dogs are part of the competition, and personality counts as much as looks, then the show will be worthy of the coverage it gets now.
Posted by: Steve | February 16, 2011 at 02:03 AM
ROOOOOOOOO!!! It's about time a sighthound won--and especially the wonderful Deerhound! Btw, only 3 deerhounds were in the actual competition so Hickory is really something special!
Posted by: Cathy Prince | February 16, 2011 at 04:49 AM
How many dogs were born and bred to make this champion dog? Enough already.
Posted by: daphne | February 16, 2011 at 07:15 AM
Actually, this was the most interesting item of news I saw in today's online headlines. Maybe my fondness for dogs is a bias? Certainly it is vastly more interesting than the news of more sexual escapades in Italy and the federal budget cuts.
Posted by: regina123 | February 16, 2011 at 07:17 AM
What an awesome dog!
Posted by: AndreaU8 | February 16, 2011 at 08:08 AM
AWESOME!!! CONGRATS!!! To H- go live under a rock, no one will miss you.
Posted by: ANIMAL L<3VER! | February 16, 2011 at 08:27 AM
Loved this win. Yay, Hickory!
As for people who don't like news about animals: Don't read the Unleashed blog, moron. Sheesh.
Posted by: Gina Spadafori | February 16, 2011 at 09:37 AM
There's a reason people care about beauty contests & dog shows, I simply have no idea what it is.
Posted by: RUJoking?! | February 16, 2011 at 09:46 AM
Its all about the bribes, kickbacks, and favors. Even something as big and international as the Olympics does it. Like it never happens in dog shows. If they only kept a list of judges who gets a puppy from the "Best in Show" winner.......
Posted by: Steve | February 16, 2011 at 12:27 PM
Hickory is every inch a queen and a very special girl
Posted by: Robin Saporito | February 16, 2011 at 12:56 PM
BRAVO!!
It's About Time.
Best Wishes too Ms HICORY!
Posted by: EnigMaa | February 16, 2011 at 03:54 PM