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Puli “Preston” Wins Best in Show at Largest Ever AKC National Championship

National Champion Beats Dogs from 49 States and Hundreds of International Competitors

GCHB CH Cordmaker Mister Blue Sky, a Puli known as “Preston” triumphed over nearly 5,000 dogs to earn a $50,000 cash prize and the title of Best in Show at the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin, held this weekend in Orlando, Fla. “Prestion,” owned by E. Charles & J. Beaudoin & L. Pitts & P. Kelly & S. Huebner of Raleigh, NC, was crowned “National Champion” by Best in Show judge Dr. Anthony DiNardo after a weekend of intense canine competition.

Combined with other weekend events including the AKC Agility Invitational, the AKC Obedience Classic, and the Junior events, the overall show totals topped 7,000 entries, making this the largest dog event held in the United States since the AKC 1984 Centennial event and the largest dog show North America.

The AKC National Championship evening live stream is available for replay at www.akc.org, alongside on-demand coverage of the Bred-By Exhibitor groups, Junior Showmanship Finals, Best Miscellaneous, Agility and Obedience competitions. The show will be televised on the Hallmark Channel on January 23, 2017 6-9 PM ET/PT.

Herding: GCHB CH Cordmaker Mister Blue Sky, a Puli known as “Preston,” owned by E. Charles & J. Beaudoin & L. Pitts & P. Kelly & S. Huebner of Raleigh, NC.
Photo credit: (C) AKC

The winners:

Reserve Best in Show and Group Winners

Reserve Best in Show: GCHP CH Belle Creek’s All I Care About Is Love, a Bichon Frise known as “Flynn,” owned by Patrina Odette & L. VanKeur & L. Carlton & L. Letsche of Plymouth, MI.

After winning Best of Breed competitions the following top dogs went on to win in their respective groups and compete for Best in Show:

Sporting: GCHS CH Clussexx Man Of Steel, a Clumber Spaniel known as “Angus,” owned by Clussexx Reg J Hubbard W & K Holbrook B Dowd of Bloomington, IN.

Hound: GCHP CH Sporting Fields Shameless, a Whippet known as “Brazen,” owned by Barbara Call, J. Cooney-Waterhouse, D. Butt and A. Giles of Wilmot, MN.

Working: GCHP CH Mephisto’s Speak Of The Devil, a Boxer known as “Devlin,” owned by Mrs. Jack Billhardt & Sergio Tenenbaum of Canaan, CT.

Terrier: GCHS CH Taliesin Twice As Nice, a Norwich Terrier known as “Tanner,” owned by Lisa Sons & Jeff and Kim Sime of Homer Glen, IL.

Toy: GCHS CH Somerset Wynzall Hashtag, a Brussels Griffon known as “Newton,” owned by Keith Jacobson and Jo Ann Noffsinger of Seattle, WA.

Non-Sporting: GCHP CH Belle Creek’s All I Care About Is Love, a Bichon Frise known as “Flynn,” owned by Patrina Odette & L. VanKeur & L. Carlton & L. Letsche of Plymouth, MI.

Herding: GCHB CH Cordmaker Mister Blue Sky, a Puli known as “Preston,” owned by E. Charles & J. Beaudoin & L. Pitts & P. Kelly & S. Huebner of Raleigh, NC.

Other top dogs awarded during the two-day event included the following:

Best Bred-By-Exhibitor in Show

GCHG CH Hillwood Dassin Ouspenskaya, a Poodle known as “Maria,” owned by Ellen M. Charles & Joseph Vergnetti of Washington D.C. was awarded Best Bred-By-Exhibitor in Show.

AKC National Owner-Handled Series Finals Best in Show

GCH CH Love That Jimmy Fallon CM, a Miniature American Shepherd known as “Jimmy,” owned by Jeanie Troyan McAdams & Dr. Douglas McAdams won the AKC National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS) Finals Best in Show, prevailing over an invitation-only entry of 711 dogs.

Best in Miscellaneous Group

Sidekick’s Amour De Bonami CM4, a Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen known as “Ace,” owned by Brent Humphrey & Corey Benedict of Howey-in-the-Hills, FL, won the Miscellaneous Breeds competition.

Junior Showmanship

In the Junior Showmanship competition, for handlers from between 9 to 18 years of age, Lauren Marie Hull with her Great Pyrenees CH Patorama’s Lay Down The Boogie was awarded the coveted title of Best Junior Handler, along with a $2,000 scholarship.

Agility and Obedience Competitions

The 2016 AKC Obedience Classic and the AKC Agility Invitational were held in conjunction with the AKC National Championship. The two events demonstrate the highest level of training and teamwork between dog and handler. Obedience and agility competitions for junior handlers were held for the sixth year, and an AKC Rally® Junior competition was held for the third year.

AKC Obedience Classic

Four obedience dogs and their owners – one dog/handler team in each of the four classes – were crowned at the AKC Obedience Classic, which brought together 248 dogs from across the country and beyond.

Placing first in their class (Novice, Open, Utility and Masters respectively) were:

AKC Juniors Obedience/Rally Classic

Juniors who participated in the AKC Juniors Classic competed in Obedience and/or AKC Rally®.

In Obedience, Juniors competed in the Beginner Novice, Preferred Novice and Preferred Open classes twice, based on their AKC obedience accomplishments.

Placing first in their class were:

Obedience

In AKC Rally®, Juniors competed in Rally Novice, Rally Advanced or Rally Excellent, based on the dog’s class eligibility (qualifying scores and/or titles earned).

Placing first in their class were:

Rally

AKC Agility Invitational

Five agility dogs and their owners – one dog/handler team in each of the five height categories – were crowned as the 2016 winners of the AKC Agility Invitational, which brought together 700 dogs from across the country and beyond.

Placing first in their height division (8″, 12″, 16″, 20″ and 24″ respectively) were:

AKC Juniors Agility Competition

Juniors who participated in the AKC Juniors Agility Competition competed in either the Junior Excellent or Superior Classes, depending on whether they had achieved an agility title.

Placing first in their height division (8″, 12″, 16″, 20″ and 24″ respectively) in the Junior Excellent class were:

Placing first in their height division (12”, 16″ and 24″ respectively) in the Junior Superior class were:

North America Diving Dogs/AKC National Championship.

A record entry of more than 700 dogs entered the NADD/AKC National Championship.

The Championship winners include:

AKC Breeder of the Year

Alan Kalter and Dr. Chris Lezotte were presented with the 2016 AKC Breeder of the Year Award for their HappyLegs Bullmastiffs at the AKC National Championship on Saturday, December 17, 2016.  The annual award honors breeders who have made an impact on their breed and dedicated their lives to improving the health, temperament and quality of purebred dogs.

AKC Meet the Breeds®
The Rhodesian Ridgeback booth won AKC Meet the Breeds® Best Booth in Show.

Click here to download images and video from the AKC National Championship.

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ABOUT THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB

Founded in 1884, the American Kennel Club is a not-for-profit organization which maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world and oversees the sport of purebred dogs in the United States. The AKC is dedicated to upholding the integrity of its registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for type and function.  Along with its more than 5,000 licensed and member clubs and its affiliated organizations, the AKC advocates for the purebred dog as a family companion, advances canine health and well-being, works to protect the rights of all dog owners and promotes responsible dog ownership. More than 22,000 competitions for AKC-registered purebred dogs are held under AKC rules and regulations each year including conformation, agility, obedience, rally, tracking, herding, lure coursing, coonhound events, hunt tests, field and earthdog tests. Affiliate AKC organizations include the AKC Humane Fund, AKC Canine Health Foundation, AKC Reunite and the AKC Museum of the Dog.  For more information, visit www.akc.org.
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ABOUT ROYAL CANIN USA

Royal Canin USA is a leader in science-based cat and dog health nutrition. Founded by a veterinarian in 1968, Royal Canin has more than 40 years of experience in delivering individualized nutritional solutions. In collaboration with an expert team of nutritionists, breeders and veterinarians from around the world, Royal Canin places cats and dogs at the central point of the innovation process. The Royal Canin product line offers a range of diets based on size, age, breed, lifestyle and therapeutic requirements. Royal Canin diets are available at veterinary hospitals and pet specialty stores nationwide. Royal Canin is a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated. To learn more about Royal Canin, visit www.royalcanin.com and “LIKE” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/royalcanin.us.

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