NH dogs rule at Westminster agility championship

Shawne Wickham, The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
·2 min read

May 12—A pint-sized papillon from Portsmouth and a bright-eyed border collie from Bedford took top honors in the Westminster Masters Agility Championship, held last weekend in New York City.

Winning the large dog class with 6-year-old Howie was "bittersweet," his owner/handler Amber McCune, admitted.

That's because the youngster narrowly beat three-time champion Kaboom, McCune's 10-year-old border collie — and Howie's big brother — to win the coveted blue ribbon.

Kaboom was leading all comers in the 24-inch jump height class until Howie, the final competitor in the class, laid down a flawless run to beat him by under two seconds. "This was Howie's day," McCune said.

The same night, Purchase the papillon won the 8-inch class for the smallest dogs with a blazing run of 32.01 seconds.

Owner/handler Carol Kelly of Portsmouth said she entered the 3-year-old dog in the Westminster competition with no thought of him winning. She wanted to give the young dog some exposure to the electric atmosphere of the famous dog show.

"I had very low expectations," she said.

But Purchase loved the crowds at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, Queens. "He liked the atmosphere," she said. "I think it turned him on."

The dog's name came from a comment her husband made when he saw the bill for transporting the puppy from a breeder in Lithuania to Logan Airport in Boston, Kelly said. "That's a big purchase," he observed.

McCune, the general manager at American K9 Country in Amherst, ran four border collies in this year's agility competition at Westminster.

The dog sport involves dogs navigating a series of obstacles, including ramps, tunnels and jumps, at their handlers' direction. The Westminster championship was held for the first time at the venue that hosts the U.S. Open tennis championship.

"It is the coolest place ever," McCune said. With inspirational quotes on the walls, she said, "You're walking down these hallways all these superstars have walked down."

Kaboom's daughter, Shelby Cobra, came in second in the 20-inch class. McCune's fourth dog, Typo, just missed making it into the finals.

Kelly said Purchase has been lording it over her other three dogs since his triumphant return from New York. "He's got a little bit of an attitude this week," she said. "But I think deservedly so."