Local dog 'best in breed' at Westminister

German wirehaired pointer from Delta

Truth Be Told, or Trudie, a 3-year-old German wirehaired pointer, took best in breed at the Westminster. Trudie was bred and trained by Lisa Minnick at Harvest Meadow Kennels in Delta. Ms. Minnick and Alice Robie Resnick of Ottawa Hills are co-owners.

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Truth Be Told, or Trudie, a 3-year-old German wirehaired pointer, took best in breed at the Westminster. Trudie was bred and trained by Lisa Minnick at Harvest Meadow Kennels in Delta. Ms. Minnick and Alice Robie Resnick of Ottawa Hills are co-owners.

A German wirehaired pointer from northwest Ohio earned the prestigious “Best in Breed” title Tuesday morning at the Westminster Kennel Club’s 138th Annual Dog Show.

Fetter

Truth Be Told, commonly known as Trudie, is a liver-and-white 3-year-old from Harvest Meadow Kennels in Delta.

Sky, a wire fox terrier, won best in show Tuesday night. Sky beat out a standard poodle, a Portuguese water dog, bloodhound, an Irish water spaniel, a Cardigan Welsh corgi, and a miniature pinscher.

This was the record 14th time a wire fox terrier has won at the nation’s top dog show.

Breeder Lisa Minnick, also a co-owner of Trudie’s, said she knew the dog was special shortly after she was born.“I knew from the moment Trudie opened her eyes,” Ms. Minnick said. “There was just something that always stood out about her. She just has a beautiful head and eyes, which is important for this breed. When she began moving around, it was just breathtaking to watch her. I knew she was going to be my star dog.”

Alice Robie Resnick of Ottawa Hills, a former Ohio Supreme Court justice, is Trudie’s other co-owner. “She’s just gorgeous,” Ms. Resnick said. “She’s got this really soft coat and a beautiful face. And she’s got great bones.”

German wirehaired pointers are part of the sporting group. Trudie, who resides most often with Ms. Minnick, triumphed over seven other German wirehaired pointers in the competition.

Trudie took part in a competition later Tuesday, but did not advance. Still, with the best of breed title, “we had an amazing day,” Ms. Minnick said. “We’re going to keep showing her this year, so we’ll hope for another invite” to Westminster.

This was Trudie’s second year at Westminster. She took the title of “Best of Opposite Sex” in her breed in 2013, which means she was the best female counterpart to the male dog that won the breed title that year. As such, she was invited back to participate in the 2014 show.

“They only invite five dogs of each breed,” Ms. Minnick said, adding that the remaining spots are filled by applicants. “So it’s an honor to be invited.”

Trudie’s handler, Nina Fetter of Lima, Ohio, said Trudie was the No. 1 female German wirehaired pointer in the country last year and the No. 3 in her breed overall.

Ms. Minnick showed Trudie herself until about 18 months ago, when she and Ms. Resnick hired Ms. Fetter.

“When we saw her quality, we decided to get a professional handler,” Ms. Resnick said.

Trudie’s owners had hoped to attend the Westminster show but couldn’t make the trip. Watching the breed shows from home, the pair were overjoyed when they saw their girl get the gold-trimmed purple-and-yellow breed ribbon.

“I started calling people, and my Facebook started blowing up,” Ms. Minnick said. “I’m absolutely ecstatic.”

Ms. Resnick said a Westminster title has been a dream of hers since childhood.

“I have watched Westminster all my life, and I’ve always thought it would be wonderful to have a dog there,” she said. “It was difficult to believe I have a dog that was best of breed in Westminster.”

Trudie’s parents also were accomplished in their breed. Her dam, Singin Gerdie Bird — Gerdie for short — is also from Harvest Meadow Kennels and was an American Kennel Club champion and holds numerous titles in hunting and obedience. Trudie’s sire is an AKC grand champion from Reece Kennels and Afterhours Kennels Florida named The Buck Stops Here, or Truman for short.

Ms. Minnick said she will also pursue hunting and obedience titles with Trudie to add to her accolades.

“She’s going to be a phenomenal hunting dog,” she said.

Ms. Minnick has been breeding German wirehaired pointers for only six years, but her business is quickly gaining recognition. Trudie’s brother took the Best of Opposite Sex title in this year’s Westminster breed competition. Classic Dancer, commonly called Maskim, is owned by Linda Blanchard of Clarkston, Mich.

At home, Trudie is a couch potato and is what Ms. Minnick calls a “Velcro dog.”

“She’s very attached to people,” Ms. Minnick said. “She follows you around and always wants to be touching you.”

Contact Alexandra Mester: amester@theblade.com, 419-724-6066, or on Twitter @AlexMesterBlade.