By Shelby Stewart-Soldan
Staff Writer
Flushing NY— On May 8, Ortonville resident Barbara Arney will be in Flushing New York to compete in the 147th Westminster Kennel Club with her Belgian Laekenois, Pilote.
This will be the third year that Arney will compete with Pilote at WKC with Pilote, and the third year they were invited to compete.
“You have to get an invite to compete at this show,” she said. “Last year he was a top Belgian Laekenois in the US. He won our national specialty, kind of like winning your division in Football. Then for Westminster, he was runner up to best to breed. The female won best to breed, and he won opposite her.”
Arney has been showing dogs for 50 years. She began showing them when she was 11 years old as a junior handler with the Springer Spaniel she had at the time.
Pilote is a Belgian Laekenois, a breed of shepherd. The breed is so rare that they were only recognized by the American Kennel Club in 2020. The breed is a member of the hearding group, and Pilote is Farm Dog Certified and has a Canine Good Citizen title.
“I wanted a dog that could do a lot of different things,” said Arney. “They’re very smart. He does all kinds of performance work, scent work, agility. He’s got many, many titles. For a farm dog certification, they simulate working on the farm being around animals, heavy equipment, opening gates. Basically doing chores on the farm. It’s a test for them. They are a herding breed, so they ave to be able to be around livestock and not attack them.”
Westminster is the second oldest sporting event in the US, behind the Kentucky Derby. This year the competition will be held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Arney and Pilote will be in Ring two at 2:45 p.m., and the event will be aired on Fox.