Westminster Dog Show

Commentary: Clearly, the best dog won - Westminster Dog Show- NBC Sports

                                                         Rufus was a Brindle Bull Terrier

Kathy Willens / APRufus, a colored bull terrier trots in the ring during judging for Best in Show at the 130th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show on Tuesday in New York

Whenever the Westminster Dog Show is mentioned the topic of Rufus the bull Terrier comes to mind.  He was truly a character and the crowd loved him during the show and on the talk show circuit afterwords. It is ironic that he won on the day the Province of Ontario, Canada enacted BSL to ban his breed and all other Pit Bull types of dogs.  Rufus was caught up in a bureaucratic process - the banning of specific dog breeds.  The owners of dogs are often more responsible for a dog's temperament than nature is yet this is not taken into account in this legislation..  The nature versus nurture argument keeps Pit Bull advocates busy trying to fight BSL (breed specific laws) from legislating "throw the baby out with the bathwater" legislation.

Unfortunately, the press has ganged up on the pitbull breeds and reports most dog attacks with headlines implicating the breed in spectacular newspaper selling headlines like "Pit Bull Attack!!".  Often before the misbehaving dog is identified by any kind of expert.

msnbc.com contributor

updated 9:07 p.m. ET Feb. 15, 2006

Sandy Robins • E-mail

NEW YORK -

In the spirit of true sportsmanship, many dog lovers leaving Madison Square Garden in New York at the end of the 130^th Westminster Dog Show agreed that despite the fact that they didn’t like bull terriers as a breed, the best dog definitely won.

America’s new top dog is Champion Rocky Top’s Sundance Kid of Holmdel, New Jersey, known to his personal family and friends as Rufus.

While his owners went out to paint the town red, the canine celebrity enjoyed a large Greenie and then settled down at his complimentary doggy suite at the Pennsylvania Hotel with his favorite toy, a Planet Dog Earth Ball that is stuffed with his pet treats and makes a noise as its rolls.

Westminster may be the country’s most celebrated dog show, but that didn’t stop a lot of catty remarks.

Hot gossip surrounding the Best in Show choice hissed that the results may have been very different if many of the country’s leading show dogs had been able to compete. A large number of contestants never made it to New York as a result of the blizzard that blanketed the city in tons of snows and temporarily brought all modes of transport to a halt.

“My money was on the Dalmatian, Champion Merry Go Round Mach Ten,” said Cathy Isbell of Holliston, Mass.” He had such charisma and the crowd loved him. But I guess when it came to the final round, it was very apparent that Rufus had the mindset of a champion.”

Isbell’s friend Diane Systrom, also from Holliston, Mass., was supporting the Golden Retriever, Champion Chuckanut Party Favour (Stet) O Novel.

Slide show Doggy doings Check out some of the best moments, cutest dogs from Westminster Dog Show.

“I thought he had the right personality and he certainly had the crowd at the other end of his leash rooting for him.”When the seven dog finalists did their last lap







Kathy Willens / APRufus, a colored bull terrier trots in the
ring during judging for Best in Show at the 130th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show on Tuesday in New York
 ap