At Westminster dog show, a display of dogs and devotion
CTV
The 148th Westminster show kicked off Saturday, and Monday marked the start of the traditional judging that leads to the best in show prize, to be awarded Tuesday night.
Less than three years ago, Mary Ann and David Giordano were taking turns lying on the living room floor with their Afghan hound Frankie, hand-feeding the desperately ill dog anything she would eat.
She had developed severe kidney problems after contracting Lyme disease, despite being on medications meant to repel the ticks that carry the bacteria that cause it. Veterinarians weren't sure she would survive.
Yet on Monday, Frankie was at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, healthy and ready to compete. She would face off against over a dozen other Afghan hounds -- including Zaida, the winner of last month's World Dog Show in Croatia -- for a chance to advance to the next round of the United States' most prestigious canine event.
"It was really tough," Mary Ann Giordano said, her voice halting as she described Frankie's eight-monthlong ordeal. "But she made it."
For all the pooch pageantry of Westminster -- the coiffed poodles, the top-knotted toy dogs, the formality of dogs trotting around a ring -- it's also an illustration of the bond people form with dogs, and what each will do for the other.
Monday marked the start of the traditional judging that leads to the best in show prize, to be awarded Tuesday night. Semifinals began Monday night, pitting the winners of each breed against others in their "group," such as hounds or herding dogs.
The first semifinal winner was Louis, an Afghan hound that had bested Zaida, Frankie, her littermate Belle and several others to win the breed.
