Austin360 blogs > TV Blog > Archives > 2006 > February > 15
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Dogs beat skaters at my house
Now that Rufus, the bull terrier who looks like the Target dog(except that he’s tan and white instead of all white), has won the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, I can return to juggling the Olympics and my regularly scheduled programming.
It’s been a rough week up until now, with Westminster airing Monday and Tuesday nights on USA Network. I’m actually developing a throbbing sensation in my hand from overuse of the remote.
Last night, in spite of frequent flipping, I missed weird Johnny Weirs’s second-place skate in the short program but managed to see the whole sporting group on parade at Madison Square Garden. Took a break from dogs and Olympics to catch “Boston Legal,” one of my favorite comedy-dramas, but returned to see the herding group interspersed with a Belgian and a German skater landing on their butts. Dizzying.
In non-Olympic years, the Westminster Dog Show is something I wallow in for two solid days. From the sublime (Brittanys and German pointers) to the ridiculous (Chinese cresteds and toy anythings), the pups and their handlers put on a highly entertaining show.
Rufus, almost 6 years old and now retiring from competition, beat out six other best-in-group dogs (who got into that competition by being best-in-breed) last night to become the 2006 best-in-show champ. The bull terrier is the first of his breed to win the top honor. The judges were impressed with Rufus’ “perfect egg-shaped head.”
Gotta love a dog with an egglike noggin who, as handler Kathy Kirk pointed out, “likes to jump up and bang his behind into doors.” Normal dogs with absolutely no breeding whatsoever have bizarre habits like that, which is why we love ‘em.
Plus, Rufus beat out a beloved golden retriever, a mean looking Rottweiler, an adorable pug, a perky Dalmatian, a puffy English sheepdog and a regal Scottish deerhound many considered to be the favorite.
So, congrats, Rufus … now it’s back to Turin (with a sidetrip to “Lost”) for me tonight.
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