The nation’s top puppies — 1,395 of them to be exact — gathered in Orlando, Florida to compete for the title of AKC Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy of the Year. The AKC/Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy & Junior Stakes event, held in conjunction with the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin, is open to all purebred AKC-registered dogs ages six months to 18 months.
An Irish Setter known as “Windy” (Ashwood She’s Like The Wind), owned by Genea White Jones & Laura Heidrich of Fountaintown, IN and bred by Genea W Jones/Timothy Jones/Suzzie Bambule/Laura Heidrich, was crowned “Puppy of the Year.” The winner was selected by an esteemed panel of judges, consisting of Mr. Dana P. Cline, Mr. Elliott B. Weiss, and Dr. Thomas M. Davies.
Group Winners
After winning Best of Breed competitions, the following top dogs went on to win in their respective groups and compete for Puppy/Junior of the Year:
Sporting: Ashwood She’s Like The Wind, an Irish Setter known as “Windy,” owned by Genea White Jones & Laura Heidrich of Fountaintown, IN and bred by Genea W Jones/Timothy Jones/Suzzie Bambule/Laura Heidrich.
Hound: Baha Babylon And On, a Saluki known as “Ginger,” owned by James Donahue, D. Scott Pfeil and Fran Donahue of Ingleside, IL and bred by Caroline Coile/Rachel Rehberg.
Working: Arete’s U Make The Rockin World Go Round, a Doberman Pinscher known as “Ryder,” owned by Vicki Hitzfield and Korey Hitzfield of Dayton, OH and bred by Vicki Hitzfield/Wende Call/Korey Hitzfield.
Terrier: GCH CH Goodspice Efbe Money Stache, a Sealyham Terrier known as “Stache,” owned by Margery Good & Emily Bennett & F Bergeron & L Spiegal of Cochranville, PA and bred by Margery L Good/France Bergeron.
Toy: CH Hallmark Jolei Out Of This World, a Shih Tzu known as “Comet,” owned and bred by Luke & Diane Ehricht of Monclova, OH.
Non-Sporting: CH My Resume’ @ Byrequest, a Miniature Poodle known as “Maya,” owned and bred by Wendy F Penn of Orient, OH.
Herding: Eclipse Ace In The Hole, a Berger Picard known as “Rupert,” owned by Chris Ruppenthal of Shingle Springs, CA and bred by Donna Beadle/Michael Beadle.
The AKC National Championship is right around the corner, and you don’t want to miss the action! Tune in to ABC on December 31 at 2 p.m. ET to see who’s crowned Best in Show.
Did you miss last year’s show? You can watch the 2022 AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin on demand on AKC.tv!