Westminster, here they come!

Excitement is in the air again for Cedartown resident and owner of the Cedartown Pet Boutique, Audrey Lee.

Once again, mother and daughter, Audrey and Julie Lee will go to compete with their dogs to New York City for the most prestigious dog show in the world, the Westminster Dog Show, the 2nd longest continuous running sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby.

The Lee families have had Tibetan Mastiffs for almost 20 years. The Tibetan Mastiff is a guardian breed, who are classified in the Working group for the dog show.

Although this breed has been around for millenniums, guarding and protecting the Tibetan people, it is a recent newcomer to AKC (American Kennel Club) events. They have been fully recognized in AKC since January 2006. Exhibitors compete throughout the year to qualify for the following Westminster show held annually in February.

The Lee’s have the distinct right of being breeder/owner /handler’s and having a Tibetan Mastiff dog in the Top 5 in rankings for their breed each year since inception into AKC. .

In 2007, it was Fuso, ranked #5, their now 9 year old male, who is retired from showing. Fuso, who’s official name is Wangdi’s Fuso Spit’n Imag O Jack, is a multiple champion, a 54 times Best in Show winner and one of the winningest Tibetan Mastiffs in history the US, prior to inception of the breed into the AKC.

In 2008 it was Khan, a dog the Lee’s bred, co-own and a nephew to Fuso. Khan is a champion and was ranked #5 in the breed for 2008. Khan, is now 4 years and is taking the year off from showing. Khan’s official name is Aujudon’s Emperor Khan. Khan lives with his primary owners Teresa and Marshall Williams, in Mineral Bluff.

This year, it is Redmond, who ranked #4 in the breed. Redmond and brother Turk, are both champions. Redmond’s official name is Aujudon’s Fu Man Too Surpriz Redmond and Turk’s official name is Aujudon’s In Awe Turkemon. They are both sons of Fuso and dogs the Lee’s have bred, to continue the tradition.

Rankings are important when it comes to Westminster. The show is exclusively for champions only.

In addition, only the Top 5 dogs in each breed are invited and guaranteed an entry. Others who wish to enter, must be champions of record, and must enter through a lottery based system, which randomly selects entries until the quota of 2500 is reached. There are no limits on how many may be accepted for each breed, but the entry is closed when the limit for the show is reached.

This year, there are 10 Tibetan Mastiffs entered, that were either invited or made the lottery process for an entry. There are 6 males, 2 of which Lee owns, and 4 females entered.

“Exact entrants are not revealed until the day of the show, but I expect all the Top 5 dogs will be there,” Audrey said.

Dog showing is one of the few sports where amateurs compete side by side with professionals. Audrey has an advantage over some owner/handlers, since she is a professional dog groomer. She and Julie do all the preparation from the ground up for each show. They condition, train, groom, and handle their own dogs throughout the year.

“To qualify and be invited to Westminster starts a full year before,” stated Audrey. She estimates that Julie and herself have attended 16 weekends of shows in the past past year.

For physical conditioning, the dogs are ran along a bicycle, which Audrey says the dogs love to do. They are frequently groomed to keep their coats in top condition. In addition, the Lee’s practice showing at home and attend conformation training classes in Douglasville.

“I am hoping the third time will be a charm,” stated Lee. After competing the last two years, Lee is not discouraged, but once again optimistic one of her dogs can take the coveted Best of Breed win. “These guys are young, but very worthy.”

If they win Best of Breed, they can be seen on national television Feb. 16 in the Working Group. The evening competition will be televised live each night beginning at 8 p.m. The Tuesday, Feb. 16 show will air in its entirety on the USA Network from 8-11 p.m.

Audrey Lee is the founder/owner of Cedartown Pet Boutique. She resides with husband Don and daughter Julie.