15/06/2021
Did you happen to catch any of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show over the weekend? Yes, it was moved from February to June, and it was held outdoors, the first time it was not held at Madison Square Garden since 1877.
Our favorite come-from-behind story is from Plop, a rescue dog. He finished fourth overall in the Masters Agility Champion at the 2021 Westminster, topping a field that had 350 entrants at the start of the day. He took a special award for the top mixed-breed dog in agility.
Plop first found himself in an Alabama shelter as a puppy, and had been adopted multiple times before ending up at Ewenity Farm Herding Dog Haven in Florida. Lisa Topol of New York adopted Plop after a Florida friend checked him out and sent her a text message that read, "I hate him but you will love him."
Plop is an All-American breed: a mixture of Australian Cattle Dog (41%), Rat Terrier (30%), Australian Shepherd (12%), with a little American Bulldog and Collie thrown into the mix.
He is about to turn eight years old, and Lisa didn't know if her dog would ever run agility again after his surgery in 2020. "Plop had the worst shoulders I've ever seen in a dog his age," said Dr. Peter Lotsikas, the veterinary surgeon who operated on Plop in May 2020. "He was one of the most difficult dogs to rehabilitate (because of his energy). To say Plop and Lisa exceeded our expectations (at Westminster) is an understatement."
Lisa said of her dog, "He was a little rusty, but I have to tell you, he's a rock star. I would love this dog if he never did this again. He's the coolest, funniest, most loving dog in the world. I love this dog more than anything on Earth."
Photo credit: Mary Altaffer, AP