For Rufus, winningest bull terrier in breed history, life as a retired show dog is still busy

Rufus is the most decorated bull terrier in the history of the breed, a celebrity ambassador and one of the busiest therapy dogs in the country.

With his enduring popularity and hectic schedule of public appearances at age 10 (that's 70 in dog years), he's like the Betty White of the dog world, although at 88, she still has a few years on Rufus.

Rufus is a colored bull terrier with a head like an egg and a body like a torpedo, explained David Frei, director of communications for the Westminster Kennel Club.

Owner Barbara Bishop of Holmdel, N.J., rejects words like ugly and weird, settling on different to describe Rufus. His sad look, funny eyes and big nose draw people in, she said.

"He's approachable. A lot of people might be afraid to approach Brad Pitt, but they would come to Adam Sandler. Anyone can pet Rufus. I think that's part of his charisma. You don't have to worry about touching Rufus because he's a wash-and-wear kind of guy. You can just love him," she said.

At hospitals or cancer centers like the Ronald McDonald House in New York City, "people think he's stuffed. He just lays there buried under 20 kids. People can't believe he is so used to it," Bishop said.

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show: Day 2 in photos

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the invite-only affair that is the most prestigious dog show in the U.S., ended Tuesday night with the crowning of an odds-on favorite, Sadie the Scottish terrier, as Best in Show.

But Westminster is about much more than the coronation of the winning dog that, the kennel club tweeted, "becomes America's dog for the next year." It's also about people-watching, dog-watching, plain-and-simple gawking, occasional (gentle) mocking and, of course, celebrating our love of dogs.

Joining Sadie in the Best in Show ring were a whippet named Chanel, a toy poodle named Walker, a French bulldog named Bru, a puli named Conrad, a Brittany named Tally and a Doberman pinscher named C.J. And there were surprises and firsts along the way; a French bulldog had never before won Westminster's non-sporting group and top-winning show dogs like Treasure the golden retriever failed to make it out of their groups to join the Best in Show competition. Well, that's show biz.

We've assembled some of our favorite photos from Day 2 at Westminster, from graceful weimaraners to galumphing mastiffs. (And you might see a few shots of America's own Scottie as well.) Above, a 9-year-old English springer spaniel named Rosie is groomed by Meagan Ulfers of Sherman, Conn., before entering the ring. Rosie seems to be giving Ulfers the stink eye, but she's far too well-behaved to act on any impulse she might have to make a run for it. Good dog, indeed!

Sadie the Scottish terrier is Westminster 2010 winner

Sadie the Scottish terrier won America's top dog show Tuesday night, and that was pretty predictable. What happened moments before she took the title at Westminster was far more startling.

Two women walked into the center ring at Madison Square Garden and held up signs that said "Mutts Rule" and "Breeders Kill Shelter Dogs' Chances," the latter a slogan popularized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The crowd of 15,000 gasped at the PETA-inspired protest, then booed the women and cheered as security ushered them away without incident. The interruption lasted about a minute and was not featured on the USA Network telecast.

Moments later, the 4-year-old Sadie climbed the purple best in show podium where one of the women had stood.

"I thought it was well-controlled by our people," Westminster spokesman David Frei said, without elaborating.

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show: Scottish terrier Sadie wins the terrier group

No big surprise here: A Scottish terrier named Ch. Roundtown Mercedes Of Maryscot, Sadie to her friends, has won the terrier group at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Sadie was heavily favored to win, but odds-on favorites have certainly lost before; witness this year's working group competition, for example, in which a top-winning golden retriever widely expected to win wound up losing to a Brittany that was hardly a household name.

Sadie also won the terrier group at Westminster last year; she's the second repeat group winner at this year's show. (Conrad, a puli, won the herding group for the second consecutive year.)

Although Sadie won her group last year, in the end she lost the coveted Best in Show title to an underdog in the truest sense of the world, a 10-year-old Sussex spaniel named Stump.

But the feisty terrier (and aren't all terriers feisty?) didn't take defeat lying down; she went on to win the two other biggest shows in the nation, the National Dog Show in Pennsylvania and the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in Long Beach.

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show: Doberman pinscher C.J. wins working group

A female Doberman pinscher named Ch. Allure Blazing Star Alisaton has won the working group at Westminster, marking a special birthday -- she turned 4 on Monday, the first day of competition at the prestigious dog show.

The winning doberman, called C.J. for short, comes from a long line of top-winning show dogs, according to USA Today; her great-grandmother won Best in Show at Westminster in 1989.

If you're wondering how C.J.'s owners came up with a nickname so far from her registered name, wonder no longer: It's short for Calamity Jane, because she has a knack for getting into trouble, according to the Providence Journal.

C.J. beat a female boxer named Ch. Winfall Brookwood Styled Dream, a female Portuguese water dog named Ch. Aviators Luck Be a Lady and a male Alaskan malamute named Ch. Sno Klassic Play the Game to win the working group.

Working group winners have gone on to be named Best in Show at Westminster 15 times; Dobermans have won four times.

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show: Upset in the sporting group

A 5-year-old female brittany named Ch. Willowick Talltean is the winner of Westminster's sporting group -- but perhaps a bigger shocker is the dog that didn't make the top four.

The dog favored by many to win the group was a 5-year-old golden retriever named Ch. Toasty's Treasure Island, who's one of the top-ranked show dogs in the country but is expected to retire after Westminster. (And competing with other goldens, one of the most popular breeds in the U.S., is no small feat in itself.) Treasure won her breed Tuesday, but her sporting-group win was not to be.

The winning brittany, called Tally for short, is owned by her breeder, Catherine Fitzgerald. Tally's handler, Kellie Miller, told USA Today that the dog is often a bit of a scatterbrain in the ring. She sometimes decides she'd rather play than show, but Tuesday evening Tally "held it together for me," Miller said.

Rounding out the top four sporting group placements were a male Irish water spaniel named Ch. Poole's Ide Got Water RN, a male Gordon setter named Ch. Firethorn and Sandpiper Easy on the Eyes and a male Labrador retriever named Ch. Beechcroft Study's Top Secret.

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show: Puli Conrad wins the herding group

For the second consecutive year, a 5-year-old male puli named Conrad won the herding group at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Monday night.

Conrad, whose full name is Ch. Cordmaker Field Of Dreams, is owned by Susan Huebner and Jackie Beaudoin and handled by Linda Pitts. He's an example of a corded puli; pulik (the proper way to refer to more than one puli) can also be shown with brushed coats.

Pitts told USA Today that this year's Westminster will be Conrad's last dog show, after which he'll become a pampered retiree.

A puli has never won Best in Show at Westminster, and Pitts says she certainly won't be heartbroken if Conrad doesn't break that streak. "Going best in show would just be extra credit," she told the New York Times. "No puli has ever won back-to-back groups in Westminster, and only one other puli has won the group. He's done everything we've asked."

Conrad beat a male Belgian sheepdog named Ch. Uri De Beauvoir, a male bearded collie named Ch. Tolkien Raintree Mister Baggins and a female German shepherd dog named Ch. Kridler's Nutmeg V Signature to win the herding group.

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show: Scottish terrier Sadie is the odds-on favorite to win

Sadie kept her jet-black eyes completely focused on the prize. No, not the prospect of winning America's top dog show. She wanted whatever treat handler Gabriel Rangel was teasing in his mouth.

Moments later, Sadie was on her way at Westminster. The monster favorite breezed past four would-be rivals Tuesday afternoon and walked off as the best Scottish terrier at Madison Square Garden.

If the early win was a lock, it was hard to tell by watching Rangel.

He hid Sadie behind a black curtain before entering the ring, away from photographers eager to snap her picture and shielded from curious fans who might accidentally step on her paws. Two assistants hovered over Sadie, brushing her coat to assure a perfect appearance.

Rangel constantly wiped his brow while waiting to be judged. After the win, he grabbed a napkin from a concession stand to towel off.

"Expectations? Never expectations," Rangel said. "If you think that way, you get nervous and in trouble."

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show: French bulldog Bru wins non-sporting group

It's a great day to be a French bulldog lover: Monday night saw the breed's first-ever non-sporting group win at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Ch. Robobull Fabelhaft Im On Fire, a 2-year-old male Frenchie, bested a male Chinese shar-pei named Ch. Chaoyang Chick Magnet At Asia, a top-winning female bulldog named Ch. Kepley's Showbiz Razzle Dazzle and a male miniature poodle named Ch. Splash Di Caprio to take the the top prize for the group.

Im On Fire, who goes by the nickname Bru, is owned by Marion Hulick, S. St John and James Dalton. He was bred in Canada.

The popularity of the French bulldog breed in the U.S. has skyrocketed in recent years; it was the 24th most popular breed judging by American Kennel Club registration statistics in 2009, up from 73rd just 10 years before. Here in Southern California, it's even more popular, perhaps in part because its small stature makes it ideal for apartment living. French bulldogs were among the top 10 most popular breeds by AKC registrations in the city of Los Angeles last year and the fourth most popular in Long Beach.

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show: Toy poodle Walker wins toy group

A 3-year-old male toy poodle named Walker won the toy group at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the most prestigious show in the U.S., on Monday night.

Walker, whose full name is Ch. Smash JP Moon Walk, is owned by Ron Scott and Debbie Burke. He may be tiny, but he casts a long shadow in the dog-show ring: He's won more than 30 Best in Show awards and was the top-winning toy dog in the country last year. (He even has his own website, which is lovingly maintained and chock-full of "candid" shots of him cavorting in a grassy area while still managing to keep his impeccably coiffed continental clip neat and unmussed.)

Walker's a talented show dog, sure, but he has an Achilles' heel in the show ring, USA Today reports: A tendency to let his tail droop. This weakness, if one can call it that with a straight face, apparently cost him last year at Westminster. Fortunately, he managed to get that pesky tail under control this year -- and if he can keep it up, he might even be able to snag another Best in Show for himself. (The last toy poodle to do that was Ch. Cappoquin Little Sister in 1961, although standard and miniature poodles have won more recently.)