Tex and Roo! winners in agility contest
NEW YORK — A border collie named Tex jumped, wove and ran to a win Saturday at the Westminster Kennel Club agility contest.
Tex beat a field of 330 dogs while a husky mix named Roo! repeated to earn a separate award for the highest-scoring mixed-breed dog in a fast-growing element of the show.
Five-year-old Tex powered through the course with barks and squeals.
“He doesn’t have a foot out of place — he’s amazing,” owner and handler Rose Savkov of Long Valley, N. J., said afterward. “And he would go in again.”
In the contest’s second year, the number of competitors grew by more than 45 percent, though the club raised the bar for qualifying by requiring more advanced agility titles.
The dogs spanned 74 breeds and varieties and included 15 mixed-breed hopefuls, which hadn’t had any place at Westminster for at least 130 years until last year’s agility contest.
The traditional, or “conformation,” judging had some mixed breeds before 1885.
While the relentlessly energetic Roo! won the mixed breed title last year, owner and handler Stacey Campbell said she arrived with “no expectations.”
“Anything can happen,” said the dog trainer from Menlo Park, Calif. “They’re dogs. We’re humans.”
The entries were as tiny as Chihuahuas and as big as Rottweilers.
While many came from herding or sporting backgrounds — border collies and Shetland sheepdogs made up more than a quarter of the entrants — less obviously athletic breeds such as pugs and French bulldogs also competed.
Half the 330 entrants were at least 7, middle-aged or older for most dogs. Some were considerably older, including a 12-year-old Chinese crested named Cindy that survived a 2013 bout with spleen cancer.
Fans say the sport can help excitable dogs channel their energy and shy ones gain confidence.
Judging for the 139th annual show gets under way today and continues Tuesday. CNBC will provide live evening TV coverage.
