Rob Shuter

You may remember Curry, the celebrity Glen of Imaal terrier who has occasionally toiled as Paw Nation's canine advice columnist. Unfortunately, with her go-go show-dog life, she's been too busy to write for us lately, so her co-owner (and PopEater columnist) Rob Shuter, stepped in to give us the scoop on Curry's winning day at the National Dog Show presented by Purina.

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Since her triumphant Best of Breed win at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog show last February, Curry, our beloved Glen of Imaal terrier, has been a busy little showgirl. She's competed at American Kennel Club shows from Maine to Indiana and won Best of Breed 35 out of 36 times.

Along the way, Curry racked up an amazing 18 terrier-group placements, including three times in first place, a new record for the breed, making her the No. 1 Glen of Imaal terrier in the land. With this brisk wind at her back, she arrived in Philadelphia for the National Dog Show,

Like Westminster, the National Dog Show is one of the few remaining benched shows, i.e. the dogs are each assigned their own holding/grooming area and must remain on display all day so the public may have the opportunity to meet all the breeds. Curry spent the morning greeting her public, answering their probing questions, kissing many a face, and posing for photos and video shoots. A bit past noon, it was time to make her apologies to her adoring fans and get to the serious job of grooming in order to prepare herself for the Best of Breed competition.

Meet jet-setting show dog Curry, Paw Nation advice columnist. In between competing at the top dog shows, Curry finds time to answer the questions all dogs long to ask. From grooming advice (Curry just won Best in Breed at Westminster, so she knows a thing or two about looking gorgeous) to tips on getting along with the craziest of canines (she lives in Manhattan so she has to make friends with the many other dogs on the block), this 3-year-old Glen of Imaal terrier has all the answers to your crucial canine queries.

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Did you hear about the new dog collar that cost $52,000? I know that as a glamorous show dog you have appearances to keep up, but would you ever wear a diamond collar? What do you think about other pricey pet accessories like booties and coats?
--Katie, a 6-year-old Irish terrier

Katie, what a great question! I can see you are right up to date on all the important breaking news.

The handcrafted $52,000 collar with 18 carat diamonds made me laugh. (And you know that dogs do laugh thanks to my insightful previous column)

I don't want to sound harsh, but only a human would be stupid enough to waste all that money on diamonds, a completely useless mineral, when they could be buying bacon. We love them dearly but they will never learn that wasting money on expensive collars and embarrassing coats is really all about them rather than us.

Have you ever seen a poor four-legged brother or sister hopping down the street wearing one of those ridiculous doggie raincoats? I'm sure the human has the best intentions, not realizing that both dogs and our embarrassing distant cousin, the wolf, have their own built in raincoats. It's called fur.

Also, for me, a heavy collar makes me worry that I'm in trouble. Pressure on my neck and back reminds me of when I was a very free-spirited pup and my mom would have her mouth on the back of my neck to reprimand me. I'm happy to have a nice lightweight but lovely collar to wear every day, but that's about it.

Humans, keep your diamonds and coats. We dogs are perfect just the way we are. After all, you wouldn't put a bumper sticker on a Bentley!

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Ask Curry your questions by e-mailing her at curry@pawnation.com.

Meet jet-setting show dog Curry, Paw Nation advice columnist. In between competing at the top dog shows, Curry finds time to answer the questions all dogs long to ask. From grooming advice (Curry recently won Best in Breed at Westminster, so she knows a thing or two about looking gorgeous) to tips on getting along with the craziest of canines (she lives in Manhattan so she has to make friends with the many other dogs on the block), this 3-year-old Glen of Imaal terrier has all the answers to your crucial canine queries.

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Can all dogs recognize their owner by smell?
--Barry, a 6-year-old Basset Hound from Vegas

Yes!

Of all the wonderful senses we have, Barry, our sense of smell is the most important. Our humans sweat and create special smells they leave that behind on everything they touch. It is just yummy! My trail is wagging just thinking about it! Even the air is perfumed with sweat which we find incredibly easy to identify. Before I see my owner, I can smell him coming down the street and I'm not even a trained in the smelling department.

A friend of mine, Rex, has been trained not only to notice different smells, but also to understand changes in odor over time as it diminishes with every second that passes. That takes smarts and a great nose. Rex puts his amazing sense of smell to good use with the police force. (See, I don't just run with the glamour-show dog crowd.)

My sniffer, however, is not used to catch criminals or locate missing people. Mostly I use it to find my Daddy. I love everything that smells like him and don't understand why he is constantly bathing and squirting himself to smell like Calvin Klein. Why he would want to smell like another gentleman is beyond me! I even found a stinky sock in the bottom of his closet and I liked it so much I put it beneath the pillow where I sleep!

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Ask Curry your questions by e-mailing her at curry@pawnation.com.

Meet jet-setting show dog Curry, Paw Nation advice columnist. In between competing at the top dog shows, Curry finds time to answer the questions all dogs long to ask. From grooming advice (Curry just won Best in Breed at Westminster, so she knows a thing or two about looking gorgeous) to tips on getting along with the craziest of canines (she lives in Manhattan so she has to make friends with the many other dogs on the block), this 3-year-old Glen of Imaal terrier has all the answers to your crucial canine queries.

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I am an 18-month-old Glen of Imaal terrier, and your most ardent fan! I follow all of your show ring performances and read your column as often as I can get my paws on my owner's laptop. My other interests include hunting the mice and squirrels in my yard and digging after the delicious scent of moles in their burrows. I do however have dreams of breaking into the exciting world of competition. Any advice for a pup that craves a bit of the limelight?
--Monroe, Your Number-One Fan

Monroe pudding, what a doll you are sending such a nice note. I simply adore my pet followers. Remember, you don't need to be a glamorous showgirl lto enjoy a lot of attention. Even when I'm not dolled up for the show ring, I am still the apple of my humans' eye as I'm sure you are too, Monroe.

You sound like you have a lovely life. Oh how I wish I could enjoy the delicious scents of moles rather than Jo Malone perfume. In the city it's really hard to find anything natural including some of the human's faces.

If you really do want to experience the world of showing, look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself how close you are to the official AKC breed standard. Every breed has a breed standard, a written document detailing what the perfect dog of each breed should look like. The Glen standard is what every Glen of Imaal Terrier, including me, is judged against. If you feel like you make the cut, find a small local show where you can find out not only a judge's opinion of you, but also your own feeling about how much you enjoy participating in a show. Some dogs don't like this kind of competition. -- and its not your only option.

Meet jet-setting show dog Curry, Paw Nation advice columnist. In between competing at the top dog shows, Curry finds time to answer the questions all dogs long to ask. From grooming advice (Curry just won Best in Breed at Westminster, so she knows a thing or two about looking gorgeous) to tips on getting along with the craziest of canines (she lives in Manhattan so she has to make friends with the many other dogs on the block), this 3-year-old Glen of Imaal terrier has all the answers to your crucial canine queries.

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Do you have any famous dog friends that you "hang" out with? Or dogs whose owners are famous? And what does a Westminster winning diva do on a play date? Please tell all. And keep walking that walk girl!
--Kimberly from New Jersey

Kimberly darling,
It's true that I am a Westminster winning leading lady. But at heart I'm a girl of simple tastes.

My people told me that a Hollywood reality TV star had recently been in touch to arrange a playdate with me and her pooch after my spectacular performance at Madison Square Garden -- but I said no. If they didn't want to be my friend before I became famous then I don't want them as friends now. (With the natural exception of any of Oprah's pups.)

You see Kimberly, little old me likes to keep it real. I hang out with Butter, a cute French Bulldog in my building that has quite the wardrobe. Other friends include my Kerry Blue Terrier neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. (Who doesn't love a naughty Kerry Blue or two..) They live on the floor above me in a posh apartment with a terrace. Oh how I wish I could go to the bathroom with just the swinging open of a door instead of those long 15 flights down in the elevator.

For me, the perfect play date would be a run at the doggie park--but not too long a run. When my tongue hangs down past my nose, this girl knows it time to head home. Then I jump on the sofa and turn on The National Geographic Channel where Cesar Millan can whisperer in my ear all day long

The only famous non-show dog I have ever met is a sassy Papillon that lives with Debbie Harry from the band Blondie. (She lives down the street from me.) And just like her human, this dog's cheek bones are to die for, I keep telling her to "Call me, call me any, anytime."

She hasn't yet, but I'm still hoping.

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Ask Curry your questions by e-mailing her at curry@pawnation.com.