Local Dogs To Go To The Big Show

It might be a dog-eat-dog world when it comes to the prestigious annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in Manhattan, but don’t tell that to East End canines Parker and Xhabo, as they are two dogs who just want to have fun.

Both dogs are entered to compete at the 135th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden next week, which will be held on Monday and Tuesday, February 14 and 15, and is America’s first and only champions-only dog show. The exclusive show is limited to 2,500 dogs.

Grand Champion Bonheur Scyran All In, known as “Parker”—a 3-year-old Belgian Tervuren from Amagansett and Manhattan who will compete in the herding breeds classification—is most happy when he’s chasing tennis balls at the beach or socializing with his friends on pack walks in the city, according to his owner, Blake Fleetwood. His favorite Hamptons haunts include Fresh Pond in Amagansett and Coopers Beach in Southampton. And agility training—jumping, going through hoops, tunneling and running at breakneck speed—is his favorite athletic activity.

Champion Najahari Xhabo Dreamweaver—Xhabo for short—is a family pet first and a winning show dog second, according to his owner, Robin Pauli. Xhabo—a 2½-year-old Rhodesian ridgeback who lives in Southampton and will compete in the hound breed classification—is a lively and athletic dog who loves his daily runs on the beach and playing soccer. The laid-back canine is very social and likes to hang with his doggie friends, playing with balls at Halsey Neck in Southampton.

Aside from their winning records and play

ful ways, the two dogs have another big thing in common: their trainer, professional dog show handler Greg Wessel.

It was a chance meeting at a beauty salon that led Parker to Mr. Wessel, Mr. Fleetwood said during an interview last week.

“He’s one of the best dog handlers in the country. I happened to meet him by mistake when my wife, Jane, was having her hair done in Amagansett,” Mr. Fleetwood explained, adding that introductions were made and Mr. Wessel took a look at Parker.

“He came over and said, ‘that’s a great dog, you ought to show it,’ and I said I’m not doing that, that’s silly,” Mr. Fleetwood recalled. “It was such a chance meeting. I’m so antagonistic to this kind of thing in the first place. I would’ve never believed two years ago that I would’ve been doing this now. And now Parker’s a champion and grand champion and gets invited to all the shows.”

Mr. Fleetwood said that Parker, whose breed is known for its herding and flocking skills, has really taken to being a show dog.

“He’s become much friendlier, much more socialized now that he has to mingle with all these people and dogs. He loves it,” he said.

Mr. Wessel, who said that the “happy and sweet” Parker “thinks he’s a golden retriever,” agreed.

“He loves to go to dog shows. When we pull up to the venue, he’s happy and eager and ready to go. He jumps right up on the grooming table,” he said.

During an interview last week, Ms. Pauli said that Xhabo is the second Rhodesian Ridgeback her family has had but is the first show dog they’ve owned, though she and her husband, Dmitri, purchased him from a show dog breeder.

“We knew he was definitely a show quality dog,” she said, adding that the decision to enter Xhabo into competition came after her husband expressed reluctance at getting the affable family pet neutered, which he said he worried would make the dog more aggressive. “He’s such a sweetheart, so cute and playful. My husband was concerned about neutering him and changing his personality. So I said, ‘If we aren’t neutering him, then we’ll have to show him.’”

The Paulis met Mr. Wessel, who lives in Springs and has been a professional handler for 25 years, when they took Xhabo for obedience training when he was a puppy.

It’s the dog’s sweet temperament and his athleticism that Mr. Wessel said makes him a champion.

“He’s got beautiful structure and movement. Every feature of his body is like a racehorse,” Mr. Wessel said. “He’s my clown, he does what I ask very willingly and happily. And he loves to jump! He can jump 5 feet off the ground.”

Both dogs will face stiff competition at Westminster but neither seems to be sweating the upcoming show, according to their owners. But there will be some serious celebrating afterward if there is a win, they said.

The Fleetwoods and their sons Nick, Graham and Jason will be pulling for Parker. Mr. Fleetwood reported that Parker will be on the receiving end of some special bones after the show, no matter where he places. And Xhabo will have a real cheering section (before, during and after the show), which will include Mr. and Ms. Pauli, their 15-year-old daughter, Federica, and Mr. Pauli’s mother, Francesca.