Garret, a 4-year-old Irish wolfhound from Colorado Springs, loves attention. And at 170 pounds and 36 inches tall, he usually gets it.
On Monday, Garret basked in an even brighter spotlight: He was named best of breed in the 136th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City.
Garret and his owner, breeder and handler, Karen Goodell, made their first appearance in the show, held at Madison Square Garden.
“He’s been walking down the streets of New York just fine,” Goodell said. “He loves the attention, and he’s a big dog, so he’s getting a lot of it. Dogs that show well love to show. He loves to show.”
Garret and Goodell have spent the past year at several shows — many on the West Coast.
Unlike most dogs, Garret is too big to take on an airplane — Irish wolfhounds are the tallest dog breed — which means Goodell and Garret spend much of their time on the road together. Luckily, Goodell says, traveling is one of the things Garret seems to enjoy the most.
It took the pair 2½ days to travel from Colorado Springs to New York. The two will leave New York this morning.
Garret also competed in the group competition Monday night. While Garret did not place in group, Goodell said the experience was exciting.
“It’s very fun to be in the city with the dogs — everyone loves dogs in New York,” Goodell said. “I’ve been showing dogs for a long time; it takes a long time to get one this good.”
Jordan Steffen, The Denver Post
