Published: February 22, 2008 12:18 am            

Westminster has gone to the hounds …

Westminster Kennel Club held its annual prestigious and highly competitive dog show last week, and what do you know, Uno, the Beagle, won Best in Show? Mark one up for the hounds, and it was a longtime coming.

It was a proud moment when, Uno, a 15-inch blur of furry hound perfection, strutted around the arena as he pranced in all of his magnificence. A proud moment, indeed, in the McKee household as well when our perfect little beagle, Patty Cake, watched the presentation from her perch on Pe Paw’s lap.

We were sitting in the family room with the gas logs blazing, pop corn popping, and the big screen tuned into the final night of the program. We had all witnessed the shocker when Uno was named best in his category, and hey, we would have gladly accepted that recognition as a huge accomplishment, and it was … but to go to the finals and win the whole blowout! Oh, my … what excitement.

The Westminster Kennel Club has been in the competitive dog business from the 1870’s and continues to draw millions of amazed spectators through the televised live access of the impressive festivities. It’s as though we were sitting up-front-and-center in the famous Madison Square Garden, located in New York City, and yes, we, the McKee’s, were definitely part of the judging team as we yelled, “Go! Uno! Go!”

From the 1870’s until 2008, there had never been a Beagle in the winner’s circle. Oh, there had been plenty of prissy, fluffy pups and a fair share of the Terrier, the Sheepdog, the Shepherd, the Boxer, and the Spaniel, but this year was all about the Beagle.

In celebration and on the next day, Uno made all of the televised talk shows where he demonstrated his good Beagle manners and charm. He was even treated to a big steak at one of those fancy/ smancy New York City restaurants.

Yes, The Year of the Beagle is a good thing.

It was noted that Uno barked at his handler with excitement upon his win, bayed at the crowd, tried to grab his leash and then took a flying leap at a snacky left over by the previous pup walking the runway. The crowd loved it and Uno was a definite favorite.

I tried to imagine the tension behind the scenes. My mind boggled just thinking of the teeth cleaning, paw manicures and pedicures, fluffing, fluffing, fluffing, spraying, flossing, glossing, and, yes, praying … praying that the little critter wouldn’t do an unthinkable on stage.

I imagined it was sort of like the presidential politics … only the pups behaved better, but I won’t go there today. There’s plenty of time to talk politics.

I think Uno has put a new face on the competitive dog world, and it’s a mighty big world, but in a way, Uno has made it all more reasonable. The pup seemed to lay it all out there without a whole lot of prettying up. He almost seemed to say, “ Take a look at this gorgeous dog and if you don’t like what you see, it won’t matter to me.”

But the crowd liked what they saw, no doubt.

Yes, Uno has shown that just being yourself can make one a winner. If we, as the human race, could only get a grip on that logic, but wait a minute … that would shut down all plastic surgery, beauty salons, nail shops, plus all the trendy and expensive clothing stores. That just leaves the coop where we all could shop for common sense essentials like work boots and overalls. It would even put a stop for the need of a psychiatrist, therapist, or psychologist, because you know, who cares what others think?

I suppose that would never work … it seems in this ole world, the more complicated the better. Simple logic went by the wayside a longtime ago. In today’s world, one never seems to live by any of Ben Franklin’s famous common sense quotes: “A penny saved is a penny earned, Great haste makes great waste” and my all-time favorite, “We were all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.”

Hmmm … Uno may have something there as he proved even a hound dog can train a human and we all thought he was the one that was trained, but all of the time he was training us.

At least Patty Cake was impressed and we have noticed since the grand announcement that she walks a little straighter, howls a little louder, flops her big ears more profoundly, and continues to train the McKee household.

Go! Uno! Go!

        

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