Mary Day of Olympia says competition is in her blood. She has shown dogs and horses at various shows; her favorite is Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York City.
She’ll make her fourth appearance at the country’s top dog show next week, showing a Swedish vallhund after bringing a Welsh corgi during her previous three visits.
Day was inspired to show a vallhund, a rare herding dog with viking roots, after one that had been mistaken for a corgi was brought to her dog rescue.
“She got there and wasn’t a corgi, but was a great little dog and I thought I’d like to have one,” she said.
Day took her time to look and fell in love with a 10-week old male from Oregon, now known as Grand Champion Campoeg High Tails at Stillwater.
“He’s only 2, and hopefully he will make it again next year,” Day said of the dog, named LeRoy. “I’d like to get a little girl one and have some puppies.”
Day and LeRoy will fly to New York today along with Day’s sister, Nancy. The competition is held Monday and Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, featuring 2,000 dogs. LeRoy will show Monday.
LeRoy will compete against corgis, shepherds and Shetland sheep dogs, Day said. It’s LeRoy’s first showing at Westminster, but he’s no stranger to competition.
“He’s got his grand championship, and then he can go on to gold and silver championships,” Day said.
She called the Westminster experience “a lot of fun. It’s a lot more hype; it’s the top dogs in the country and you see people you don’t normally see from back East.”
The trip is not about just work. Day said she and her sister plan to shop and take in a Broadway show.
“If you are going to go that far, you might as well have some fun,” she said.
Chelsea Krotzer: 360-754-5476
ckrotzer@theolympian.com
@chelseakrotzer
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