James is King

James, the six year old English Springer Spaniel was named Best in Show at the 2007 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. James, whose full name is Ch Felicity's Diamond Jim, beat out the six other Group winners to take home the honors. The other Group winners included an Akita, Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Toy Poodle, Standard Poodle, Petits Bassets Griffons Vendeen, and Bouviers des Flanders. This is the fifth time an English Springer Spaniel has taken home the top prize in the 131 year history of the competition.

Established in 1877 the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is the oldest organization dedicated to purebred dogs. It is the most prestigious dog show in the United States, and believed by many to be the greatest in the world. The competition is held annually at Madison Square Garden in New York over a two day period culminating in one dog being named Best in Show.

This year's winner, James, is owned by Teresa Patton and Allen Patton as well as R Dehmel and D Hadsall. This is the second time in seven years an English Springer Spaniel was named Best in Show. James had to first win the Breed and Group competitions to earn the right of being one of the final seven dogs to compete for Best in Show. He was the overall number two ranked dog heading into the show with the Dandie Dinmont Terrier, CH Hobergays Fineus Fogg, being the only dog ranked higher.

The English Springer Spaniel is recognized by the American Kennel Club as part of the Sporting Group. It was bred as a hunting dog in England that would "spring" game from a field. This gave rise to its name which was officially recognized in 1902. According to the Westminster Kennel Club website, "The true beauty of the English Springer Spaniel is found in the expression of its original purpose: a companion gundog."

The Best in Show competition was judged by Dr. Robert A. Indeglia. A Rhode Island native, Dr. Indeglia is senior surgeon and chief of cardiac surgery at The Miriam Hospital. Also a dog enthusiast, he began judging dog show in 1971, and has previously judged at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show seven times. This was his fist time judging Best in Show for this most prestigous of competitions.

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is the Super Bowl and World Series of canine competitions all wrapped into one huge two day event. Dogs from all over the world come to New York with hopes of bringing home top honors. A Best in Show win at Westminster means instant celebrity status for the winning dog and a year's worth of positive publicity for that dog's breed. This year's winner the English Springer Spaniel James, is now the toast of the town and the king of the canine world.

The Westminster Kennel Club, (2007). Retrieved February 14 2007, from http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org