The bright lights of Madison Square Garden did not faze a Bedford County-raised dog Tuesday night.
The English springer spaniel named Wynmoor Sweetgrass White Diamonds — you can call her Liz — won the Sporting Group category at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City. That victory qualified her for the Best In Show round, which was later won by Miss P, a beagle from British Columbia.
Liz was raised by Wynmoor English Springers, a Bedford County kennel with a Vinton address and a doghouse full of awards. The 3-year-old Liz’s win was Wynmoor’s first Sporting Group victory at Westminster and came as a surprise for the kennel’s owners, Billie and Charlie Kerfoot. Liz had not claimed any national honors before this week’s trip to Westminster, her first.
When the judge “pointed to her for first place, we were just crying,” said Billie Kerfoot, who watched the competition on television. “It’s such an honor for her to be recognized among all the other beautiful dogs.”
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The Kerfoots have been showing dogs for more than 30 years. Their most successful pooch was Peyton (aka Wynmoor Champagne Supernova), an English springer spaniel that won 82 Best In Show prizes across the country between 2011 and 2013.
Not even the great Peyton won a Best In Group award at Westminster, however. That honor went to the unheralded Liz, a cousin to Peyton. Liz was ranked No. 7 nationally among all springer spaniels before Tuesday and was not one of the favorites to advance.
To get to the Sporting Group finals, Liz first won the springer spaniel category, a surprise win in itself. Sporting dogs include other breeds such as pointers, setters, retrievers and spaniels, dogs primarily bred for helping hunt and retrieve birds.
“It’s not common for a female to win the best of breed,” Kerfoot said. “We were happy that she won that. Just getting into the group competition was an achievement. She had never even won a best of show anywhere else. When she got to Best In Show, we were just thrilled to get there at that point.”
Liz’s owners are Bobbie Kerfoot; her daughter, Erin, of Marion, Va., an assistant psychology professor at Radford University; and family friend Alison Smith of Charleston, South Carolina, a veterinarian who owns Sweetgrass kennels. Liz was born in South Carolina, and came to Wynmoor kennel with the rest of the litter at 6 weeks old.
The dog’s American Kennel Club name is partly inspired by actress Elizabeth Taylor, who for many years promoted a perfume called White Diamonds (it’s also reason for the nickname Liz). The names Wynmoor and Sweetgrass honor the kennels where Liz was born and raised.
Liz currently lives in California with her handler, Janice Hayes, another longtime friend of the Kerfoots. Billie Kerfoot said that Liz will compete in other shows and will return to Westminster next year to defend her title.
It is not uncommon for several Southwest Virginia dogs to compete at the Westminster show. On Monday, a dachshund owned by Diane Graham of Dublin won first place in the smooth dachshund category. Other dogs from the New River Valley and Franklin County showed in New York this week.
“We have many beautiful dogs and terrific kennels in our region,” Kerfoot said.