Michigan dog, whose breed nearly went extinct, heads to Westminster dog show

Samantha Gibson first saw a Sussex spaniel dog when she was watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on television in 2009. She "fell in love immediately."

"That’s the only time a Sussex ever won Westminster," Gibson, who lives in Ferndale, told the Free Press. "He was a crowd favorite and everyone was cheering."

Champion Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee, better known as Stump, was indeed the only Sussex spaniel to win the coveted Best in Show title at what many consider to be the Super Bowl of dog shows: Westminster, a Westminster spokeswoman confirmed. Stump "evokes a furry brown log, or tree stump. At 10 years of age, Stump was the oldest dog to go Best in Show at (Madison Square) Garden, after surviving a near-fatal infection years before," the American Kennel Club said about the win.

After that, Gibson had to have a Sussex spaniel of her own, but it wasn't easy. The breed is extremely rare and it almost went extinct during World War II. It still battles high infertility. Gibson had to wait nine years before she finally got her Sussex spaniel, whom she named Clyde, in 2018. He was just one of 34 Sussex spaniels born in the United States that year, according to the Sussex Spaniel Club of America.

Gibson's story is now coming full circle because even though she just started Clyde on the show circuit a couple years ago, the two will drive the 10 hours to New York City to compete on the stage that Stump graced all those years ago: Westminster.

Clyde is one of 70 dogs from Michigan to be entered and accepted in the 148th annual Westminster show Saturday through Tuesday, where 2,500 of the top-rated dogs across the nation will go head-to-tail competing to be the best based on their breed standard, Westminster spokeswoman Alicia Mohr said.

"It’s me and my pet, and we ended up making it, which is just kind of cool," Gibson said, but her casual demeanor belies an underlying nervousness. She offers a self-soothing refrain, saying she has low expectations of winning.

"We’re against people who are paying professional handlers and go to shows every weekend," Gibson said of what has been more of a hobby for her.

Dogs get into Westminster two ways: They can either be entered and drawn from a lottery or they can be invited by being one of the top five dogs in a breed. Dogs accumulate points for winning various shows throughout the year and the five with the top points are automatically invited to Westminster. Gibson and Clyde got in by lottery.

Practice for the big show

On a rainy Monday evening in late April, Clyde stands calmly alongside a large practice ring inside the Sportsmen's Dog Training Club of Detroit in Warren. Gibson is fussing over him. She removes his rain jacket and brushes his lustrous golden liver-colored coat. He is a friendly dog, leaning against the leg of a Free Press reporter asking for some extra attention, then posing for a picture with a Free Press photographer.

Gibson and Clyde, 5, are here for their regular class to learn the show ring techniques. Students learn the proper way to put on a show collar, how to hold the collar in the ring, how to let a judge examine the dog’s teeth and body in the ring, and the pace at which to run the dog around the ring. They learn tricks of the trade such as storing the dog's treats inside their own mouth during the show for quick access.

Gibson slides a gold-colored chain collar around Clyde's neck, wipes some drool from his mouth and combs his soft, wavy fur along his haunches. She puts her own hair in a ponytail and wipes some sweat off her brow. Other high-pedigree dogs trickle in for class: A Dalmatian, an English setter, a Finnish lapphund, a Chihuahua, a Newfoundland, a standard schnauzer and Norwegian buhund to name a few.

Instructor Roz Jenkins, who has been showing dogs, mostly Doberman pinschers, since 1985 and had several champion wins in her career (though has never competed at Westminster), is instructing her students on how to "stack" their dogs. To stack means to move the dog's legs and body into a position that shows off the breed's best features. Gibson and Clyde move into the ring and Gibson bends over her dog, moving his hind legs into position.

Dan Cargo, of Allen Park, warms up his Newfoundland dog, Daphne, by trotting her around the ring. Cargo's wife, Cathy, sits on the sidelines. She said it can be overwhelming for the retired couple to learn everything that goes into showing their dog. Like Gibson, they're new to the show circuit, but they view Clyde's entry to Westminster as inspiration, "We heard that they're going to Westminster and we were excited," Cathy Cargo said. "It's a big show and it's exciting just to know him."

'Remember to breathe'

But Clyde is not the only dog in this class headed to the "big show." Saga, a 4-year-old Norwegian buhund, is eagerly trotting around the practice ring. Saga is a top-five dog in her breed and got an invitation to compete at Westminster, Mohr confirmed. The medium-size, wheat-colored dog is known as a cold-weather herding and guard dog, according to the American Kennel Club. Buhunds are typically smart, affectionate and devoted.

Saga's owner and handler is 15-year-old Micaela Kenyon, of Holly, who has been showing dogs since she was 9, her mother, Khrista Kenyon, said. The Kenyons have eight of the dogs, which are also known as the "Viking dog" due to their heritage, Khrista Kenyon said.

Micaela Kenyon, who was the Top Junior (handler) at United Kennel Club Premier 2022, according to a 2023 profile on her in Showsight Magazine, was guiding Saga through the ritual of trotting around the ring, stacking and then examination that Monday evening as Khrista intensely looked on. She said her daughter was a bit nervous about going to Westminster for her first time. But she is also ready.

"She's not going to beat the No. 1 Norwegian buhund in the country; he has a professional handler," Khrista Kenyon said. "But we'll see. We're hoping for a best of opposite win."

Best of opposite means the dog is the best one in the opposite gender of the dog that wins best in breed. Last year, Williamston teenager Lihi Ruvio's 3-year-old cane corso, Sage, won Best of Opposite in the breed after competing against 17 of the top-rated cane corso dogs in the nation where a male won Best in Breed.

Jenkins said she's "so happy" when her students go to big shows such as Westminster and she will be watching. For those dogs that win best in breed, then best in their group and make it to the end for the big title: best in show, Jenkins said she knows what the judges will be looking for.

"(The judge) is going to know the standards on every dog and he’s going to go and say, ‘OK, I’d give this one a five out of the six standards’ and this one, 'A one out of the three’ and 'This one has a nice head, but it’s top line is not as good.’ He’s going to pick the one that he feels is the best for all the requirements within that standard," Jenkins said. "At least that’s what he’s supposed to do. Does it always happen? When I see a Pomeranian go up and I can’t see his structure because it’s all this fur, I’m going, ‘Well, really?’ and the dog next to him had the perfect structure in my eye.”

After 45 minutes of trotting around the ring with their dogs, stacking them and then enduring Jenkins' hands-on examination of their dogs, the class disperses. Jenkins offers them one last piece of advice.

"If you're showing this weekend, good luck and remember to breathe," Jenkins said.

A serious expression, but clownish disposition

Clyde's registered name is Champion Stonecroft Watter O’Clyde. Watter O'Clyde means "River Clyde" in Scottish because he loves the water, Gibson said. It is also fitting because Gibson was born and grew up in Dundee, Scotland, which is about 63 miles north of Edinburgh. The River Clyde is an important landmark in Scotland. For one thing, it’s where the famous Clydesdale horses, which hauled logs to make the ships on the river, where bred, according to Brittanica.

Gibson came to the states in 2004. A foot and ankle surgeon with her own practice in Ferndale, Gibson has been living in Michigan since 2014 when she came for her residency and stayed because the "people were so fricken' nice."

The Sussex spaniel breed was developed in the 1700s in Sussex, England, to work as a field dog. The breed almost went extinct a couple of times because they are very difficult to breed, "bitches often skip seasons, reabsorb puppies and need C-sections. Puppies are fragile until about two weeks of age," the American Kennel Club wrote.

But the breed was one of the first 10 breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1884, according to the Sussex Spaniel Club of America. A Sussex spaniel will have a rich, golden liver-colored coat and short legs, a long and massive body. Don't let the serious facial expression fool you, the breed is known for being cheerful, the club said. Gibson describes Clyde as "clownish."

From pet to participant

Clyde was 10 weeks old when Gibson paid about $3,000 to adopt him from then-Stonecroft Kennels in Virginia. He became her beloved pet and that was all he was going to be, until November 2020 when a friend invited Gibson to a local dog show in Novi.

“Because there’s so few Sussexes, I hadn’t seen another one of Clyde’s kind since I got him ... so we just went so he could see another LBD — little brown dog. It’s the first time I’d ever been to a dog show and I thought, this is kind of fun." Gibson said. "So I talked to his breeder a little bit about it. She said, ‘You should totally get into it.' "

They started by going to a match in early 2021, which has all the elements of show except the dogs don't get points if they win. It didn't matter because she and Clyde did not win, she said. The first dog show the pair completed was in July 2021 in Monroe at the Michigan Sporting Dog Association Show. Again, they did not win that either.

"We didn’t know what we were doing. Although, considering everything, he was quite well-behaved — at home he’s quite rambunctious," Gibson said. "So that’s sort of what spurred me on to keep going.”

So Gibson signed up for the class at the Sportsmen’s Dog Training Club of Detroit that year to improve their showing skills. She and Clyde steadily got good enough to compete in two to three weekend shows a year. Not a lot considering some dogs with professional handlers are doing shows every weekend.

'He was a little showman'

Clyde achieved his American Kennel Club Championship on Oct. 12, 2023, at the Memphis Kennel Club Dog Show, said Barbara Ohmann, Sussex Spaniel Club of America president. By doing that, he had enough points to qualify to enter the Westminster lottery.

"When we get in the ring, he turns it on. He listens and pays attention. There are some dogs that can be amazing specimens, but they don’t like the ring, they cower and they’re scared. He was the opposite. He was a little showman," Gibson said. "So I contacted the breeder, because it’s a dream, not something I could have ever imagined I’d even be eligible for. 'Should I enter?’ The breeder said, ‘Absolutely you should enter. He looks great.' "

Some dogs from Michigan have done well at Westminster in the past. There was Ruvio's cane corso last year winning Best of Opposite. In 2018, a male bichon frisé named Flynn, who lives in Plymouth, won Best in Show at Westminster. Also, in 1993, a 5-year-old liver-and-white English springer spaniel called Robert won Best in Show. He was owned by Donna and Roger Herzig, of Louisville, Kentucky, and Julia Gasow, of Troy, according to The New York Times.

A surprise lineage

Gibson is going to "soak up the atmosphere and the experience." She said being at "the Super Bowl of dog shows" is the win for her and her "guy," Clyde.

"My dog is really cute and he’s a good boy," Gibson said. "We’re just going to have fun.”

But there is one thing Clyde has in his favor. Gibson shared Clyde's pedigree papers with the Free Press. As it turns out, Clyde's great-great-great grandsire was none other than the 2009 Westminster Best in Show champ: Stump.

More: Michigan teen and her dog to compete in Westminster dog show

Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sussex spaniel from Michigan to compete at Westminster