XENIA, Ohio — Monday marks the beginning of the 147th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
Each year it’s a chance for the best of the best in the dog show scene to compete and be recognized. It’s a special time for not only the pets and their handlers, but the judges responsible for picking out the top teams.
Judge Vicki Seiler-Cushman was preparing to head out from her home in Xenia, Ohio, to travel to New York for the show.
“When I’m judging at Westminster and I’ll be wearing these which are glamorous, yet still you’re able to walk in without falling,” she said as she showed her shoes.
From the dogs to the dresses, Westminster is at the top of the line.
“I just wear something like this with a little bit of glam,” she said as she showed one of her dresses.
Westminster holds a special place in her heart. This is the second time she’s judging at the show.
“Here I have the trophy from when I won Westminster, the group first at Westminster, back in 1990. That was a few years ago,” she said as she pulled the trophy from her cabinet.
This time, it’s a full-circle moment.
“As a matter of fact, I showed in junior showmanship there back when I was 15 years old, I believe, and now here I am all of these decades later, judging junior showmanship there, the finals at Westminster,” she said. “So that’s very exciting.”
Her passion for showing dogs all started with her mom when she was 12 and the family’s Siberian Husky.
“We entered him in a little puppy match and he won and we were hooked. We’ve been showing dogs ever since. Fifty years later,” Seiler-Cushman said. “We did it as a family thing together, my mother and I. It was really nice to spend time together as a family.”
This time, the show will feel a little different.
Her mother, Sylvia, just died several weeks ago.
“I’ll have her on my shoulder and I know she’d be very proud,” she said.
Seiler-Cushman has a long list of championships and judging, but this change to select the top winners in the junior division is truly special because it hits so close to home.
“These children work very hard. They have to win best junior handler seven times or more in order to qualify and even come to Westminster,” she said.
Junior Showmanship at Westminster has been going on since 1934.
One hundred children from across the United States and their dogs compete.
For the top eight, thousands of dollars in scholarship money is on the table.
“These are the best of the best kids and they have a true passion for what they do,” she said. “That’s what makes it really exciting and really an honor to pick the final winner.”
