Owner hopes to show him in Westminster Dog Show
LAKE MANITOU—Toulin’s Quite the Spectacle (Spec for short), a two-and-a-half-year-old Scottish terrier from the shores of Lake Manitou near Big Lake, owned and handled by Liz Lewis, is making quite the name for himself on the North American dog show circuit and even has his sights set on the prestigious Westminster Dog Show held each February in New York City.
Ms. Lewis has been involved in the breeding, owning and handling of dogs for 50 years, 42 of which have been devoted to the Scottie in particular, and it’s been a family affair. Raising their family in Sudbury, the children were involved in ‘junior handling,’ and daughter Jennifer still helps her mom to this day. Following retirement from INCO, Liz and her husband Jim, a Haweater, moved back to Manitoulin. Mr. Lewis passed away 14 years ago and Ms. Lewis said dog handling has kept her busy ever since.
In the summer, she and her dogs are on the road every weekend. July was spent touring Texas dog shows with October marking a trip to Pennsylvania for a ‘terrier specialty’ show, she explained. And this February, she added, Spec will be making the trip to New York and a chance to show in Westminster. To get into Westminster, a dog must be an American Champion, meaning that they have so many points from winning qualifier shows and Spec has done just that.
Spec’s handler, a woman from Indiana who hails from Azilda, takes him to many of the shows and will be bringing him to Florida for January to get him whipped back into show shape. Spec has been enjoying a Manitoulin vacation of late, Ms. Lewis admits, and has added a couple of pounds. While the Scottie is an American Champion, this trip to Florida will hopefully make him an American Grand Champion (he’s just six points away)—a title he already holds in Canada, as well as United Kennel Club Champion.
Spec’s handler, a new mom, has come up with a proposition for Ms. Lewis for Westminster—Ms. Lewis drives to Indiana to watch the baby and she and Spec will head for the Big Apple, and Ms. Lewis is looking forward to it, preferring to watch the ‘spectacle’ on television.
Spec can also boast being the top male Scottie in Canada and is pushing for top 10 terrier in Canada—he’s currently ranked as No. 11. Living on Manitoulin means there is a lot of travel involved with her passion for terriers as shows in the North are limited. This weekend, in fact, she and Spec’s daughter, a puppy, are headed for the International Centre in Toronto for her very first show with the Caledon Kennel Club. It is here that Ms. Lewis will learn if the new generation has got what it takes to be a show dog.
Judges, Ms. Lewis explained, look for the “terrier temperament,” the classic terrier wiry coat, as well as the structure and movement of the dog.
Having Canadian and American Champion dogs means that there is a long waiting for Toulin Kennels Scotties, and she doesn’t breed them every often. “Temperament is the most important thing,” she adds.
Ms. Lewis said Spec enjoys his life as a champion dog, his tail wagging behind his determined little self every time he enters the ring.
