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Local bulldog, Cruiser, in elite Westminster show
By Rob Wheary, Staff Writer 02/12/2005
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he Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, held annually at Madison Square Garden in New York City, is considered the king of such shows in America.
An Atlas couple will be part of that grand tradition when the 129th annual show takes place Monday and Tuesday.
Karen and Jeff Robertson will travel to the show with Cruiser, one of the French bulldogs they have at their Rock N’ Roll French Bulldogs kennel.
Cruiser has already been a showstopper on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” Animal Planet network — and just about anywhere else he’s been.
“We’ve gone to shows where he has been the center of attention, just looking cute and making funny expressions. Everywhere we go, people just want to pet him,” Karen Robertson said. “Many judges who have been part of national championship events say he is a great dog and they want to see him compete more.”
As a tuneup for Westminster, Cruiser last weekend competed in a Saratoga, N.Y., dog show and won “best in breed” all three days of the competition.
“We entered Cruiser just to get him reacquainted to our professional handler; when we didn’t hear from her, we started getting worried,” Jeff Robertson said. “When he came back with the ribbons, we were excited.
“We’ve also found out that he has a cheering section everywhere he goes,” he added.
Being the center of attention is something Cruiser and his breeders are used to, as evidenced by recent media attention they’ve received.
“He’s been seen on the National Dog Show on NBC and ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,’ and there was a 20-minute feature on our operation with Animal Planet,” Jeff said. “For that segment, we decided to have a family reunion for all the dogs and we had about 40 French bulldogs and owners in our yard for a barbecue.”
n Westminster elite
While the Westminster Dog Show is the show to win, it is an honor just to get there.
“When the entries open for Westminster, they usually close in about 20 minutes because there are only so many entries available,” Jeff said. “We had a professional entry service get us in.”
Billed as “America’s first and only champions-only dog show,” the Westminster show is limited to 2,500 dogs.
Cruiser is one of 10 “Frenchies” the Robertsons currently have for breeding. They credit the great care they provide as a reason so many of the expensive animals are still with them.
“We do a lot of health checks on the animals, because the French bulldogs are very susceptible to health problems, like spinal difficulties and breathing ailments,” Karen Robertson said. At the same time, “They’re tough and like a big dog in a little package. That’s why we love them and raise them.”
Dog names are a big part of the “rock ‘n’ roll” theme in the Robertsons’ business.
“When we breed a dog, either we or the owners have to give a dog a full name with our name or any other name that has to do with music,” Jeff said. “Some of the dogs that we have here are named Devil in the Blue Dress, Dreamboat Annie, No Doubt and Use Your Illusion.
“We’ve had other dogs that people named Zakk Wilde’s Black Label Society,” he continued. “It’s just a fun thing to do, and shows that people are a part of our breeding family.”
n A good home
On the way to New York Sunday, the Robertsons will be dropping off at good homes other dogs they have rescued from mistreatment or from owners who cannot care for them anymore. New owners go through a strict screening process before a dog is placed in their care.
“We make sure it is a safe environment and a safe home for the dog, and that they are going to be cared for in a loving manner,” Karen said.
Bolstered by the strong performance in the Saratoga show, the Robertsons like their chances at Westminster, but will be happy with anything.
“Winning best of breed at the Westminster dog show would just be tremendous,” Jeff said. “But if we just get an award of merit, that will be a victory in our book.”
©The News Item 2005
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