The Gossip Column: June 21, 2024

With the announcement from the WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB of its welcomed return to Manhattan and Madison Square Garden on its former February dates comes the release of the 2025 judging panel. Headed by PAULA NYKIEL, who was recently crowned Judge of the Year at the PURINA PRO PLAN SHOW DOGS OF THE YEAR AWARDS DINNER, it certainly is a crowning moment for one of the nation’s most popular judges. PAULA will get to choose her Best in Show winner from one of the group winners selected by Sporting Group judge VIRGINIA MURRAY, Hound Group judge HAROLD TATRO, Working Group judge NIKSA LEMO from Croatia, Terrier Group judge DAVID KIRKLAND, Toy Group judge ANGELA PICKETT, Non-Sporting Group judge VICKI SEILER-CUSHMAN and Herding Group judge JANINA LAURIN. NIKSA LEMO is joined on the panel by several foreign judges: LAURENT HEINESCHE and JUSSI LIIMATAINEN from Finland, JUAN MIRANDA and JOSE LUIS PAYRO from Mexico, and — no stranger to us in the States — WILL ALEXANDER from Canada, who will join the rare group of Westminster judges who have also handled a Westminster Best in Show winner. Judging the Junior Showmanship competition will be ELIZABETH JORDAN-NELSON, ADAM PETERSON and KELLIE WILLIAMS. The two-day breed, group and Best in Show judging will take place on Monday and Tuesday, February 10 and 11, 2025. The Masters Agility competition will take place on Saturday, February 8 — always a popular spectator attraction. ...

This past weekend, a celebration of life for the late judge and former American Kennel Club field rep JIMMY MITCHELL was held at the Bryn Mawr Kennel Club show grounds. Present was JIMMY’S longtime partner DOUG BOUCHELLE, unknown to most of us, along with organizers MARI-BETH O’NEILL and BETH SWEIGART. A host of guests and speakers included PATTI PROCTOR, MICHAEL & MARTI PAWASARAT, KAZ & ROXIE HOSAKA, RANDY GARREN, DENNIS O’CONNOR, CINDY VOGELS, ANDREW & AMY GREEN, PETER GREEN, LYDIA COLEMAN HUTCHINSON, KELLY FITZGERALD, CHRIS BERG, ERNESTO LARA, REBECCA CROSS, JOHN MILLER, JOAN SCOTT, DAVID FITZPATRICK, WAYNE FERGUSON, DUANE & CONNIE BUTHERUS, SAM MCDONALD, MICHAEL CANALIZO and STEVE & CYNTHIA SANSON. JIMMY was such a big part of the dog-show scene that the likes of him will never be replaced.