A Battleford resident will be competing at the 140th annual Westminster Kennel Club All Breed Dog Show in New York City on Feb. 15-16.
Robyn McGonigle and Skittles will be among more than 3,000 dogs competing in the events of Westminster Week, which includes the iconic all-breed dog show, its third annual Masters Agility Championship at Westminster and the inaugural Masters Obedience Championship.
Skittles (officially known as: GCH Castlefin's Night In The City, CCA, SDHF) was one of McGonigle's puppies out of the first litter she raised and she knew from the moment he was born that he was special. Skittles was tiny and struggled to stay alive for the first few hours of his life. It took 45 minutes of working on the little guy to keep him going until finally he was able to breathe on his own.
Skittles is a purebred golden retriever. He has completed not only his Canadian Championship, but his Canadian Grand Championship as well. He has earned a Certificate of Conformation Assessment, an American title where the dog is assessed against the breed standard under three evaluators rather than being compared to other dogs. Last year he earned a spot into the Canadian Show Dog Hall of Fame.
In 2014 Skittles was the eighth ranked golden retriever in Canada and was also given the Shadywell Trophy from the golden retriever Club of Canada for being the top male golden retriever in Canada.
Skittles has been shown at select shows in the United States with a total of five points towards his American Championship. McGonigle says she is proud to say that everything Skittles has achieved, they have achieved together as breeder/owner/ handler. They are a team and McGonigle says she believes in Skittles and never gives up on him just as he never gives up on her.
Westminster Kennel Club will be Skittles’ first show of the season before McGonigle campaigns him to be the top golden retriever in Canada for 2016. After this year, Skittles will be retired from the show ring and will start training for field work and has earned his place on the couch.
Breed competition in Westminster’s world-famous dog show will be held during the day at Piers 92/94. The evening finals (Groups and Best In Show) will be held at Madison Square Garden and televised live from 8 to 11 p.m. ET on CNBC, Monday, Feb. 15 and on USA Network on Tuesday, Feb. 16.
The dog show is preceded Saturday, Feb. 13 by the third annual Masters Agility Championship at Westminster on Pier 94 as part of the Meet and Compete event, which also includes AKC Meet The Breeds presented by Purina Pro Plan on Piers 92 and 94, giving Westminster Week a full range of informational and fun dog-related activities.
