Sadie Crowned Queen of the Dog World

Ch Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot the Scottish Terrier better known as "Sadie" took home top honors at the 134 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Shown when she was crowned, Best in Show on February 16, 2010. Sadie is the first Scottish Terrier to win Best in Show since 1995 when fellow Scottie, Peggy Sue won the prize.

Sadie earned the honor of being in the Best in Show finale by winning the Terrier Group. She was joined by fellow group winners from the Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting, Herding, Sporting, and Working groups. The breed winners of these groups were a Whippet, Poodle, French bulldog, Puli, Brittany, and Doberman pinscher respectively. When all was said and done however, it was Sadie taking home the most coveted title in the dog show world.

Sadie, who is owned by Amelia Musser, was handled by Gabriel Rangel for the event. She was a heavy favorite going into the show as she was labeled as the top dog in the country by the "Voice of Westminster" and USA Network TV announcer, David Frei who was announcing his 20^th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. With her win, Sadie becomes the eighth Scottish Terrier to win Best in Show in Westminster's illustrious history.

Sadie was crowned Best in Show by finals judge, Elliot B. Weiss. Mr. Weiss is himself a former handler who took an Irish Setter to a Sporting Group win in 1984. Mr. Weiss' first Westminster assignment came in 2004 when he judged the Terrier Group. This was Mr. Weiss' first Best in Show assignment.

Scottish Terriers or, "Scotties", as they are often called were originally bred to help rid Scotland's Highland farmers of rodents and small predators. They became a popular pet and dog show breed in the early 2oth century in England and the U.S., and remain equally as popular today. The breed is known for its independent and sometimes stubborn nature as well as its short stature and wiry black coat.

Some famous Scottie owners have included Franklin D. Roosevelt, Queen Victoria, Tatum O'Neal, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and more recently George W. Bush. Scottie's are the only breed of dog to have inhabited the White House on three separate occasions and they are the model for perhaps the most popular piece in board game history as you can choose to be the Scottie in Monopoly. The Scottish Terrier is also the school mascot for Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as well as for Agnes Scott College located in Decatur, Georgia.

"Scottish Terrier", Wikipedia
Peter Grier, "Westminster dog show 2010 results: Scottish Terrier 'Sadie'", The Christian Science Monitor