Posts tagged "glen of imaal terrier"

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.

Name: Glen of Imaal Terrier

Personality: Here's a word you hardly ever hear in regards to canine disposition: Stoic. Yet that's the adjective used by the Glen of Imaal Terrier Club of America to describe this "hardy and resilient" breed. While on the one hand, "Glens can be stubborn and have an independent streak," on the other, says the GITCA site, "They can be extravagantly silly and full of pluck." Dog Breed Info Center describes a Glen as "a spirited, brave, patient and devoted little dog."

(Paw Nation actually has a Glen as a guest columnist! Celebrity show dog -- and Westminster Best of Breed winner -- Curry occasionally writes for us and answers questions from our readers.)

Grooming: "The Glen is easy to groom, but it does require stripping [pulling out, rather than simply cutting, the hair] twice a year," says Dog Breed Info Center. "Cut under the tail with scissors as needed. The hair in the ears should be plucked out regularly and the hair between the pads of the feet should also be removed."

Common Health Issues: "Many sources cite that the Glen is free of hereditary defects," the GITCA site says. "The Glen has been particularly fortunate in this regard." PRA and hip dysplasia can present (the former in higher rates), and "Skin irritations are a common problem among all terriers, and the Glen is no exception." (WebVet.com concurs on all counts, and adds that flea bites in particular can prove an unpleasant nuisance to Glens.)

Training Tips: "They respond enthusiastically to praise and dramatically to a scolding," says the GITCA. "Proper introduction, supervision, and instruction are required." WebVet.com says that, even though the Glen of Imaal Terrier was bred to work a turnspit (yep, like a rotisserie), "they can be trained to retrieve."

Rob Shuter, the co-owner of show dog and Paw Nation canine columnist Curry, shares his experience competing with the first-time entrant at the 134th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

It's Feb. 16 and the morning started at 6 a.m. with the alarm blaring. Not that I needed it. I didn't sleep a wink. In a few hours, our Glen of Imaal terrier, Curry, would be showing at the Westminster Dog Show for the first time.

I live in New York City, just 10 blocks away from Madison Square Garden where the Westminster show is held. I'd converted the living room into Curry's personal beauty parlor. While other Glen owners were at the Garden at 5 a.m., bathing their dogs in rubber tubs, I was drying and grooming Curry comfortably at home as the snow fell outside our window.

Still, there was no time to waste, and I soon was down on the corner of 23rd Street and 10th Avenue, hailing a cab along with Curry's co-owner Bruce Sussman, the Grammy-award winning songwriter of Barry Manilow's "Copacabana." Ten blocks and seven minutes later, we found ourselves at the backstage access door.

Westminster is a benched show, which means every dog is lined up backstage in an area where the public can stroll by and ask questions. I'm sure the New York Rangers don't allow fans that kind of access to the athletes right before they play. In fact, I was told that the only time the Garden ever removes the ice beneath the main floor where the concerts and other sporting events take place is for the dog show, because the dogs sense the ice under the flooring and refuse to walk on it.

Guess who'll be among the more than 2,500 champion dogs competing at this year's 134th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (Feb. 15–16)? None other than our very own Curry, a Glen of Imaal terrier that Paw Nation has been following since last October in our "Path to Westminster" series. Curry's owner and handler, Bruce Sussman, answered some questions about the little charmer.

Dog Breed: Glen of Imaal Terrier

Group: Terrier

Dog's Full Registered Name: Ch. Coleraine's Mandalay Royalty

Nickname: Curry

Dog's Age: 3

Owners' Names: Bruce Sussman, Rob Shuter and Maura High

Hometown: New York, N.Y.

Tell us about Curry's personality. Curry is a lovebug. Her favorite thing to do is to jump into your lap and lick your face.

What is her weirdest quirk? She finds the morning walk entirely unnecessary and would much rather stay in bed, under the covers.

What is her best trick? Catching biscuits on the fly.

What's Curry's favorite treat? Hot dogs, Hebrew National brand, grilled not boiled.

How do you and Curry prepare for Westminster? Grooming mostly, keeping her coat in good harsh condition like it is meant to be.

Anything else you'd like to share? Curry now has her own advice column on Paw Nation, "Ask Curry," and as a result is probably the only Westminster competitor with her own e-mail address: curry@pawnation.com. E-mail her with any questions!

Earlier this month, we introduced you to Curry, a strawberry blonde Glen of Imaal Terrier who is hoping to strut her stuff at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in February 2010. To qualify and be guaranteed a spot at Westminster, Curry must -- by October 31st -- earn enough points to make the list of Top 5 Glen of Imaal Terriers in the country.

The last time we checked in with the three year-old pup and her owner, Bruce Sussman, they were preparing to travel from New York City to Pennsylvania to compete at a four-day competition called "Montgomery Weekend," otherwise known as the "Terrier World Series." The event was Curry's opportunity to acquire more points and solidify her chances at qualifying for Westminster.

So how did Curry fare at Montgomery weekend?

In the world of purebred dog shows, there is no competition as prestigious, or title more coveted, than "Best in Show" at the Westminster Kennel Club All Breed Dog Show.

Founded in 1877, the Westminster Kennel Club (WKC) is the country's oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs and the second longest continuously held sporting event in the nation -- second only to the Kentucky Derby.

Just getting your dog accepted to compete at the WKC Dog Show is quite an accomplishment. Only the world's best champion dogs -- who place in the Top 5 in their breed category -- are invited to pre-enter the show, with other champion canines vying for a spot through an application process.

With the October 31st cut-off date to earn a spot at the WKC's 2010 Dog Show fast approaching, Paw Nation is following one canine hopeful in her quest to make it to Westminster.