Michigan teen and her cane corso dog win a title at Westminster Dog Show
Michigan teenager Lihi Ruvio was still shaking Tuesday evening in the car as she and her mother, Ayalla Ruvio, drove from New York back to their home in Williamston. Their 3-year-old cane corso, Sage, fresh off a big victory, enjoyed her favorite toy in the back seat.
Lihi, 17, was processing what had happened earlier that afternoon. Dressed in a gold skirt and dark pink jacket, she took Sage into a ring at the Super Bowl of dog shows — the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York — around 3 p.m. to compete against 17 of the top-rated cane corso dogs in the nation.
The dogs and handlers went around the ring — sometimes more than once — judge Denise Flaim examined each animal's mouth, muscle tone and overall appearance and then it happened: Flaim named the Best-of-Breed winner, a male named Oscar from Sunbury, Ohio, and then announced Sage as Best of Opposite. It is a big win because it means she is the best female of the breed, also known as an Italian mastiff.
It's also exactly what Lihi had told the Free Press she had hoped to win last month as she prepared for Westminster.
"I’m still shaking. I am just so happy. I am not even off my high yet," Lihi told the Free Press on Tuesday evening. She said Sage was so excited in the moment she was jumping and running around the ring. "I was shocked, but in a good way. I was just so proud of my dog for giving me her all because it was very hectic and she was able to keep it together."
Getting the dog in competitive condition
This is the third victory at Westminster for Lihi with a cane corso, which is all the more impressive given Lihi is one of the youngest dog handlers at the show. In 2021, at age 15, she led her male cane corso, Royal, to win Select Dog in the breed. A year later, Royal won Select again at Westminster under Lihi's handling. The Select Dog award is given to the champion dog "recognized as the next best" of their gender after Best of Breed and Best of Opposite gender, according to the American Kennel Club.
Sage and Royal hail from Black Pearl Cane Corso Kennel in Williamston, which Ayalla Ruvio operates. The kennel is home to seven cane corso dogs.
The dogs stand nearly 28 inches to the shoulder and often top 100 pounds. They have a large head, attentive expression and visibly toned muscles beneath a short coat. Their size and musculature alone could be intimidating, but Ayalla Ruvio's dogs are all trained to be therapy dogs. Royal, 7, recently comforted Michigan State University students traumatized by a shooting that left three students dead and five injured. Royal also has a unique universal blood type that allows him to donate blood to save other dogs' lives.
More: Michigan teen and her dog to compete in Westminster dog show
Ayalla Ruvio said her dogs start training as puppies, and that Lihi has been working with them since childhood. In fact, Lihi was 10 years old when she first showed a dog at a dog show.
“I am proud of my baby girl, not because of the win, but because she works hard to achieve her goals and then she goes and achieves them," Ayalla Ruvio said. "She worked really hard for that, and that’s Lihi. That’s how she rolls. She will work very, very hard for what she wants to achieve, which is pretty remarkable for someone her age."
About 90 days prior to the Westminster show, Lihi said, she started walking Sage 4 miles every day — in all weather conditions — to get her in shape for competition.
"It shows the judge, if your dog has muscle tone and they are conditioned, that you put effort into being ready for the show," Lihi said.
"It also improves their movement," Ayalla Ruvio added.
The big kiss and a Kong toy
Once inside the ring, conditioning isn't enough. The dog has to want to show well and that comes down to the handler, Ayalla Ruvio said.
Lihi said that for her the winning formula is simple: “I made sure Sagey felt like a million bucks, win or lose. She was very happy to be in the ring and jumping around. When we did that last go-around the ring after the lineup — the moment the judge pointed at us for Best of Opposite, I let her run around like crazy, jump around the ring and be excited and I gave her a big kiss.”
Then the Ruvios bought Sage her favorite type of toy, which is a squeaky Kong toy.
Sage, whose proper full name listed on her pedigree papers is Grand Champion Mar E Sol's Dawn of Sage, is regal and beautiful, and has a mind — and a will — of her own. She adds her latest title to other accomplishments she has had so far: Grand Champion, AKC Canine Good Citizen, AKC Community Canine, therapy dog, AKC Trick Dog and Intermediate Trick Dog. A trick dog masters obedience maneuvers that can be choreographed into trick routines. Sage is at the intermediate level.
'The real deal'
Ayalla Ruvio said Sage will retire from the show dog circuit now, adding that the dog Lihi will work with next is Royal’s son, Gabe. He is 3 years old and the Ruvios aim to show him next year at Westminster with the goal of one day winning Best of Breed and maybe more.
Ayalla Ruvio believes in her daughter, saying she remembers when her daughter first started winning titles and some people dismissed it as, "Winning once is a coincidence. Winning twice is, ‘OK, she has a good dog.’ But now she’s won three times and with a different dog — and that says a lot about the handler. Now when she walks into the ring, everybody is afraid because now she’s the real deal.”
More: Study: Automakers may face tough sell with subscriptions for heated seats, remote start
Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan teen and her dog win a title at Westminster Dog Show
