Have no fear, underdog is hereREBECCA DUBE
From Friday's Globe and Mail
February 15, 2008 at 9:08 AM EST
In the dog world, it was Rocky Balboa going the distance against Apollo Creed, Henry V triumphing at Agincourt, and the Giants beating the Patriots - all rolled into one.
When a beagle named Uno became the first of his breed to win the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in its 132-year history, the normally genteel crowd went nuts.
"We have never had a reaction like this," said USA Network announcer David Frei, who's done wag-by-wag commentary on the show for 18 years, as the audience gave Uno a standing ovation. The humble beagle's victory over perfectly coiffed poodles this week reverberated far beyond the usual wet-nose crowd.
It marked a triumph for the underdog, the rise of a four-legged people's champion, and perhaps a permanent shift in the dog show world.
"It's the greatest thing that could have happened to the Westminster Kennel Club," Mr. Frei told the Today show, before taking Uno to meet Martha Stewart (who even allowed the charming canine to walk on her countertop). "These are real dogs and real people, and what more of a real dog can you have than a beagle?"
Beagle breeder and handler Allison Foley of Nova Scotia wholeheartedly agrees.
"A lot of [past] winners have been these big, hairy, glamorous breeds," she explained. "With the beagle being best in show, people may say, 'Wow, just a plain old dog can be best in show.' "
And as we humans can't resist projecting our own dreams and desires onto our furry friends, Uno's win gives hope to everyone who's ever felt ordinary compared with those "fancy, pretty" types.
Ms. Foley enjoyed secondhand celebrity at Westminster. Her 15-inch beagle, Ella, won a merit award at the New York show, while 13-inch beagle Lil Ed won best of breed. Everywhere she went with her beagles, she said, people would ask, "Is that Uno?"
Dogs in Canada editor-in-chief Kelly Caldwell said even though the sprightly beagle quickly captured the crowd's heart, his victory was far from certain: Not only had a beagle never won Westminster, no beagle had won its group there since 1928 - in dog years, that's a 560-year losing streak.
Ms. Caldwell, who attended the show in New York, heard that bookies were calling this the year of the poodle, while others said the Sealyham terrier was a lock after winning the American Kennel Club/Eukanuba show. But the beagle outshone them all.
"Every time that dog barked the crowd responded," she said. "I've never seen a crowd cheer on a dog like that."
In the past, Westminster wins have spurred public interest in little-known breeds, such as the Kerry blue terrier, which won in 2003, or the papillon in 1999. But because beagles are already a popular pet, they probably won't experience a similar boost from Uno's fame. The beagle ranks 11th in popularity according to the Canadian Kennel Club and scratches its way up to fifth in the American Kennel Club rankings.
From Snoopy to Underdog, beagles are no stranger to the spotlight. They're favourites in Hollywood - and unfortunately for them, among medical researchers - because of their docile nature and their willingness to do anything for food. Though they can be stubborn, their sweet temperament makes them great pets - and it doesn't hurt that they're doggone adorable.
Marna Gale, who runs a rescue organization called Big on Beagles in Toronto, said she hopes Uno's newfound fame makes it easier to find good homes for the 10 dogs she now has in foster homes, some of whom have special medical needs.
"I think it's wonderful. It's a furry feather in our cap," she said. Of course, she predicted, "the poodle people will have their noses out of joint."
Her beagles at home watched Uno win best his group on television, and they seemed pleased but not surprised - beagles generally don't lack for self-esteem, she said. "They are stars in their own minds."
