Westminster Fave Sadie Stars At Fundraiser

It's the morning before the 134th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and Sadie the Scottish terrier is perched atop a table at Bonham's, an auction house in midtown Manhattan. No, the number-one-ranked dog in the country is not going to the highest bidder; Sadie is the guest of honor at Barkfest at Bonham's, an annual charity brunch that raises money for the American Kennel Club's (AKC) Humane Fund, which promotes responsible pet ownership through education, outreach and grant making.

Attendees have paid $50 per ticket for an advance viewing of some 260 pieces of Victorian oil paintings and sketches of dogs that will go on the auction block on Feb. 16. In a glass case is a handsomely-crafted, weathered-looking 19th-century leather-and-brass dog collar that once belonged to one of Charles Dickens' many dogs. "It is estimated to sell for $4,000 to $6,000, but anything can happen at auction," curator Alan Feusel tells Paw Nation. "Last time, an ivory toothpick belonging to Charles Dickens sold for $9,000."

"The charity brunch is a great way for the public to get a preview of the art that is going on sale, and to bring their own dogs and come meet the winner of the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, which this season is Sadie," the AKC's Lisa Peterson tells Paw Nation. It's a Sunday morning, but already the gallery is crowded with people, dogs and tables set with bagels, fruit and giant silver dog bowls filled with doggie-shaped biscuits.

"I come every year to the charity brunch," says local resident Erika Searle, who has brought along her dog, Cubby, dressed in a red-and-black gown by doggie fashion designer Ada Nieves. "We love looking at the art, and you get a really diverse crowd of dog-show people from out of town, and local people."

Though it's less than 24 hours before the start of Westminster, the small dog with the glossy black coat is showing no sign of nerves. Instead, she is focused on a bit of bagel that her handler, Gabriel Rangel, is holding out to catch her attention. Mission accomplished, Rangel feeds the morsel to Sadie.

"We don't do anything special [to prepare for Westminster]," Rangel tells Paw Nation. "We always do the same thing. She's used to the routine; she's always ready." To prepare for the show ring, Rangel will wash her furnishings -- "just the furnishings, not her coat," Rangel says -- and make sure he has her favorite treat in his pocket: organic chicken hot dogs. "She likes hot dogs, but I try to give her healthy hot dogs because we give her so many," Rangel chuckles.

Will Sadie, who is favored 8 to 1 to win, nab the ultimate title of "Best in Show" at the Westminster Dog Show? She just won the Best in Breed title so she is on her way. We'll find out if Sadie takes the big title tonight!

Tags: charity, scottish terrier sadie, ScottishTerrierSadie, Westminster, westminster dog show, WestminsterDogShow