Olympic Gold Medalist, Rare Dog Breeds Seen at 2009 Eukanuba World Challenge

Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson adores dogs. "I'm a huge animal lover," Johnson told Paw Nation. "I have a golden retriever named Tucker and I love him. He's my life."

Johnson was a special guest at the opening ceremony of the 2009 Eukanuba World Challenge in Long Beach, Calif. earlier this month. "It's a lot of fun to be here," Johnson told Paw Nation. "I've never been to a dog show before."

With 41 different countries participating this year, the Eukanuba World Challenge is the Olympics of dog shows. Each country sent their top champion dog to compete for the title of World Challenge Winner and win a grand prize of $10,000. There was a Saluki from Sweden; a wire fox terrier from Brazil; a puli from Australia; a poodle from South Korea; and a Staffordshire bull terrier from South Africa -- just to name a few.

Representing the United States was Holly, the pointer who was last year's Best in Show winner at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship. "Of course we're going to try to win," Holly's handler, Michael Scott, told Paw Nation minutes before entering the show ring carrying the American flag. "We're representing our country."

Among the 41 competitors were dog breeds rarely seen in the States: the Bracco Italiano and the Thai ridgeback dog. "The Bracco Italiano is a very sweet, gentle dog," Bitte Ahrens, showing a four-year old Bracco Italiano dog for Italy, told Paw Nation. "They are a pointing bird dog. They were bred to find birds, such as pheasant, hiding in the bushes and point at them."

The Thai ridgeback dog represented the country of Puerto Rico during the Eukanuba World Challenge. "It's a primitive, 6,000-year old breed," owner Miguel Angel Negron Olivella of Puerto Rico, told Paw Nation. "They're considered wild dogs in their native Thailand."

On the eve of the final competition, only 12 dogs remained after a round of preliminary judging, including the pointer representing America, the Bracco Italiano representing Italy and the Thai ridgeback dog representing Puerto Rico. So which dog would judge Frank Sabella pick?

Ultimately, the four year-old Bracco Italiano dog named Axel del Monte Alago (or simply "Axel") was crowned the 2009 Eukanuba World Challenge winner. "It's so exciting. What a great night -- to win representing your country," Axel's handler, Ahrens, gushed immediately after winning. "It feels absolutely fantastic."

Johnson diplomatically declined to say which dog was her favorite, but for judge Frank Sabella, the choice was clear. "The [Bracco Italiano] dog captured my attention and that of the appreciative spectators as he entered the ring," Sabella said in a statement. "Watching him go around made the hair on my arms stand up."

Tags: dog breeds, DogBreeds, Eukanuba, shawn johnson, ShawnJohnson