Luminary Thoughts

Was hoping she made it to #5 but she went even better – as of August 31st she is the #3 Standard Poodle in the AKC Breed ranking. She is also #2 for Grand Championship points earned so far this year and she is #6 Standard Poodle in the AKC All Breeds ranking. The Breed ranking is based on what she does in the Breed/Variety ring — where the breed judging is done and has to win Best of Variety to count in the ranking. Whoever wins Best of Breed/Variety then can go into the group judging. You can win in the breed ring and not do anything in the group, hence the two rankings. To go up in the All Breed ranking, you have to win or place in the group judging. Pearl has been pretty consistently doing some placement/winning in the group so she has gone up in that ranking too. Its pretty meaningful too — its much harder to do something in the group than in the breed ring. So #6 there is very good too. But, the Breed ranking is what matters for Westminster — you have to at least qualify to be eligible to even enter WKC and then you have to put in multiple entries and hope at least one is picked in the lottery-style entry process. Last year, she qualified and we put in five entries and two were picked so we went. This year, if she maintains a place in the top five Breed ranking, she will be invited and I just say, yes thank you, we will be there. Now, right behind her in a tie for fourth place are two dogs who as of the end of August were about 120 pts behind her. She sat out two weekends in September so I hope that doesn’t enable those two to pass her which would put her back to #6. Ohhhhh, the suspense… But no matter — I mean, wow, my girl made it to #3 standard poodle in the country — wooohoooooooo