Whippet good: Kingston, Ont. dog and owner compete in Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
Only the best can walk the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show stage, and one Kingston dog and owner have done just that.
Elisa Holland says the moment was surreal.
‘Honestly, the moment I walked into the ring, it was a lifetime dream come true and I was all smiles,” says Holland.
Holland and her dog Daisy, an 18-month-old whippet, travelled to New York on Monday to show off her skills by competing in the Westminster Dog Show.
“I just kept looking at her and saying, ‘We’re a team no matter where we place. If we don’t get any ribbons, we’re a team’, which is the teamwork you need in a dog,” says Holland.
It’s one of the most prestigious dog shows in the world. Dogs of all breeds compete, and only the top 3,000 dogs in the world are invited each year.
To qualify, Holland says Daisy won competitions in the United States over the last year, and then won a place in a lottery pick.
On Monday, Daisy walked in the ‘Best of Breed’ in the whippet category against 27 other dogs. Holland says judges look for things like size, features, and personality.
That is something Daisy showed up with.
‘She tried to give the judge a kiss, which I said was fine,” she laughs.
It’s been an 11-year journey to get here for Holland, who learned how to train dogs in her own time in between a career in the military and schooling, originally starting with Daisy's mom.
She says it’s important to follow a dream
“You don’t have to be from elite or have to be in the dog show world, you can just take your pet, train hard,” she says. “You can always achieve it.”
And while Daisy did not take home ‘Best in Show’ this year, her road to Westminster is not done yet.
“We’re only just starting, and she’s only going to get better with age. And I’m hoping I’m only going to get better with age,” Holland laughs. “But she definitely will.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.