If youâve never heard of the Westminster dog show, well, itâs like catnip for the canine crowd. Itâs Americaâs most famous and prestigious pageant for the pooch.
Every year itâs broadcast around the world to millions. Who wouldnât want to watch four-legged perfectly-groomed and perfectly-behaved dogs strut their stuff on the green carpet in Madison Square Garden?
Theyâre also watching the one âhumanâ in the ring who matters most: The Judge. The person who determines who wins the coveted silver-plated trophy bowl.
In 2014, that honour went to a Canadian, the pride of Salmon Cove, N.L.: Betty Regina Leininger.
And it is indeed an honour to be chosen.
For Betty, it was âlike the Super Bowlâ she says. Judging the top dogs is a once-in-a-lifetime event.
W5 caught up with Betty in Nashville, Tenn., in a dog show ring quite different from the razzle dazzle of New York City. In an agricultural auditorium with nothing more than a dirt floor there was Betty, who was greeted just like a movie star.
After all she had just judged Westminster and earned her âOscar.â The ring in Nashville might sound small town for big time Judge, but Betty doesnât do this for the glamour, quite simply she loves dogs.
Early days
What began as just a hobby the dogâs life has taken her around the world. Not bad for a gal from the Rock who has beaten breast cancer twice and never missed a dog show during a career that has spanned more than three decades.
She did not grow up in a dog show family. It wasnât until her 20s, when she was gifted a purebred German shepherd, that Betty discovered the world of dog shows.
âI got a taste of winning,â Betty says, and she was hooked. And though sheâs suffered a dog bite or two, married twice and now has an adult son, Betty admits that when it comes to our furry friends she has a âpassion for the poochâŚevery dog that I judge I can look into its eyes and sometimes I can see right to their little souls, I can, I really can.â
As the first Canadian woman to judge the Best in Show category, she had to keep it secret for months. She didnât even tell her own son.
The only person who knew before it was made public was her best friend who is not the four legged kind. It was Bettyâs 95-year-old mother Bertha, who still lives in St. Johnâs. They speak to one another every single day, no matter where in the world Betty may be.
Friends say Betty brings elegance to the dog ring. And you can see that. Not a hair out of place. At Westminster, dressed in a purple gown designed by the same person who outfits Royalty like Kate Middleton and Actress Helen Mirren, Betty did not disappoint.
She even wore rare yellow-tinged canary diamonds, another âroyalâ connection â but she refused to divulge the lender of her bling. Gown, heels, makeup and hair, Betty was ready for Prime Time.
No easy feat
There is a lot of pressure judging Best in Show: itâs very competitive and much is at stake. There is no cash prize but the owners can make a lot of money breeding the champion.
So how does she choose the champion? What does it take to be a winner?
Itâs tough.
Out of 2,900 dogs, only seven group winners at Westminster are considered âbest in breed.â From top to tail, teeth and coat Betty says she looks for something she calls the âXâ factor.
She canât explain it -- she says it just sort of happens. Even when the crowd at Westminster roared and applauded for Nathan the Bloodhound or Matisse, the Canadian-born Portuguese Water Dog , Betty would not be swayed. One dog locked eyes with Betty that said âThis is my night.â
Her choice for Best in Show was Skye, the Wire Fox Terrier. She even asked to give her top dog a kiss , planting a smooch on her favorite pooch.
âIt was just the way she looked at me and I looked at her little eyes. We locked for a moment. That special moment thatâs very difficult to define.â She got to Bettyâs heart. Dogs can do that to anyone.
Westminster changed Bettyâs world, sheâs very much in demand now. From speaking engagements, teaching, book offers, there was even an offer to star in a reality television show. But her salt-of-the-earth work ethic hasnât changed, and donât be surprised if you see Betty in the ring at a dog show in a town near you.
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