Scottish deerhound 'Hickory' is best in show at 2011 Westminster dog show

Fox Sports ^ | February 16, 2011 | AP

[Immerito]

About time a real dog won that beauty contest.

I do think they should make dog shows less about being canine beauty contests and more about answering the question: "can this dog, as a representative of its breed, perform exceptionally the function(s) for which it was bred?"

[Immerito]

Doggie Ping!

[nuconvert]

I thought the Beardie would win, but the Deerhound was a pleasant surprise

[popdonnelly]

I don’t favor beards on females. };>)

[baddog 219]

Now that's a dog! I agree, I'm tired of all the poofy girly dogs that when.

[riverrunner]

Yes to bad they don’t run deer with them any more.

[Thermalseeker]

I thought the English Setter blew them all away. What a gorgeous dog!

[No Truce With Kings]

I understand that the televised Westmister Dog Show outdrew Rachel Maddow in head-to-head ratings.

Not a wonder why. Hickory is way more attractive than Maddow.

[golux]

A friend told me recently that the new trend in England is “human hunting.” It’s just like fox hunting except some poor SOB has to run through the woods with a bunch of beagles and men on horseback chasing him. Yeesh.

[giotto]

Do dogs know when they win? He looks really proud of himself.

[Dr. Ursus]

Miss Jayne Hathaway- Chief,we waz robbed!

[gorush]

Darn, the conspiracy against Corgis continues.

[abigailsmybaby]

What?!?!?! The poodle didn’t win??????

[popdonnelly]

Hickory lives on a farm in Virginia, and has real deer to chase.

[allmendream]

I agree. Selection for beauty and poise is defacto selecting against functionality.

The Bull Mastiff fawn color is preferred for show, and it does look real nice; but brindle is the original color selected for a night guard dog - it is nighttime camouflage.

If a Bull Mastiff sees you and you see it, they will bark at you as a warning. But if the Bull Mastiff sees you, and you do NOT see it, they will stalk you like a lion and then come out of the dark, hit your legs, and grab you by the throat. If they were brindle you most likely wouldn't see them coming even if you were looking right at them in the dark!

[gussiefinknottle]

what a beautiful doggie you have!

[gussiefinknottle]

i’m glad peke didn’t win. looked like a dustmop with teeth.
i thought the terrier was a spiffy little dog.

[theDentist]

That certainly looks like a “poofy girly dog” to me. Why is the handler strangling the winner in the photo above? Did he drop a dukie on the carpet?