The most common question Lee Whittier gets while she’s jetting around the country with her lovable, shaggy Tibetan terrier Oliver is: “How did you get started in dog shows?”
So it was her natural reaction to chuckle when the first question out of a Columbian reporter’s mouth was the same.
“It’s a niche community,” the Vancouver woman said. “We never know how much the outside world is interested in the dog show community. It’s fascinating to hear.”
Her answer is simple: “It’s sort of in your blood. If you really love dogs, you start showing them. You have some success, learn about other breeds and start to think, ‘I can be a judge.’ ”
Whittier, 60, expects she will be answering the question again as she travels to New York City to judge the 141st annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show later this week. The Westminster Kennel Club is the oldest organization — established in 1877 — in the United States dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs.
It’s Whittier’s first assignment for the show and fulfills a lifelong dream of hers.
“I thought, ‘Wow, it would be so cool to judge Westminster one day.’ It’s a really big thing because the quality (of dogs) is so high. It’s like the Super Bowl of dog shows,” she said.
There will be nearly 2,800 dogs, representing 202 breeds, during the daytime competition held at Piers 92 and 94 on Monday and Tuesday. Whittier will officiate over the toy group, specifically Chinese cresteds, miniature pinschers, papillons, shih tzu, silky terriers, toy fox terriers and toy Manchester terriers.
She says judging the toy breeds is all about the details. Her selections will be based on standards set by every breed’s parent club, which include appearance, movement and temperament. The standards are based on practicality for that breed. Whittier will compare the contestants to these standards to determine which comes the closest.
Her portion of the show will be live-streamed online. All Best of Breed winners she chooses will go on to compete in the toy group Monday evening at Madison Square Garden.
3 decades of involvement
Whittier has been involved in the sport of purebred dogs for more than three decades. She began as an owner, exhibitor and breeder of rottweilers while she lived in Vermont.
She owns, exhibits and occasionally breeds Tibetan terriers, Whittier said, which date back nearly 2,000 years to Tibet. They were bred and raised in monasteries by the Lamas and kept as good luck charms, mascots, watchdogs, herding dogs and companions. They were also used to retrieve items that fell down mountainsides.
Her show dog, 18-month-old Oliver, who sports the traditional long, thick coat, won championship status as a pup. “He’s a special guy,” Whittier said, as Oliver cuddled up next to her on a chair. She also has Oliver’s mother, 7-year-old GG, and father, 6-year-old Palmer.
Whittier began judging in 2000 but took a several-year hiatus to work as an executive field representative for the American Kennel Club. She moved to Vancouver in 2008 and began judging again in 2011, currently for the toy and working groups and a number of breeds in the hound, terrier and nonsporting groups, as well as Best in Show.
She’s capable of judging upwards of 90 breeds. The AKC recognizes a little more than 200 breeds.
“There’s a running joke in the business, ‘It takes longer to become a judge than to be a surgeon,’ ” Whittier said. “You have to work your way up.”
When she’s not preparing for a show, Whittier teaches an online mentor program for owner-handler exhibitors, where she shares the tricks of the trade.
Whittier’s interest in the dog show community was piqued as a child. She grew up with a black miniature poodle, and her mother bred and occasionally showed collies and golden retrievers. Whittier knew she wanted to follow suit when she grew up.
“It’s really the dog’s personality that takes you in, and every one has a different personality,” Whittier said. “Personality plays a huge part. After all, that’s who we live with. They exist for companionship.”
These days, Whittier couldn’t begin to estimate how many shows she’s participated in over the years. When she regularly showed dogs, she’d go to about 120 shows per year. Now, she judges about 30 shows a year. The farthest she’s traveled is South Korea in December to judge for the Korea Kennel Federation. But typically, she travels across the country and recently drove to a show in Southern California.
“You meet the most amazing people and the most amazing dogs,” she said. “It’s a combination of the scene.”
