English Foxhound wins Sunday’s Best in Show at the Duluth Dog Show

The Duluth Kennel Club wrapped up its four-day dog show at the DECC on Sunday. The event gives handlers and owners the chance to celebrate purebred dogs. 

“A lot of people don’t understand the purpose of dog shows. They think it’s just a beauty pageant which it’s not,” said handler Dawn Strumbel. “Every dog is compared against its breed standard, and so it’s all a bunch of breeders here that are working to improve their dogs generation to generation.”

Many of the participating dogs come from a line of champions, including Strumbel’s poodle, Ace. 

“He’s actually the number one miniature dog in the country right now. He’s the number four miniature poodle overall in the country,” said Strumbel. “His mother was number two in the country then to Westminster. She was the best female at Westminster. Then her mother was the number one miniature poodle in the country, and she was at Westminster and won best female there as well. So he’s third-generation.”

Each day of the Duluth Dog Show had new shows, with 600-750 dogs competing each day. 

“People come in with their class dogs to gain points to earn a championship,” explained Show Chair Carolyn Lichty. “Once a dog is a champion, if it’s a really good individual of its breed, they go on to compete in groups.”

Group winners go on to compete for Best in Show.

“The judge judges against the breed’s standard, the description of the perfect dog,” said Lichty. “So the dog most perfect in the breed standard is what is Best in Show.”

Sunday’s Best in Show winner was Layla, an English Foxhound. 

“This one’s a little special to me because I grew up showing English Foxhounds,” said handler Sarah Krickeberg. 

Krickegerg has been working with Layla since February. This was Layla’s first all-breed, Best in Show win.

The full list of Sunday’s winners can be found at this link.