AGE 70 IN HUMAN YEARS...TAKES HOME 1ST PLACE

STUMP TAKES IT ALL
To all: I gladly admit it; I'm a total dog-lover and the Westminster Dog Show is something I look forward to each year.

And, what fun it was this year to see a Sussex Spaniel named STUMP, take home the top prize - Best In Show. And where else to applaude him, but a site dedicated to making the lives of seniors more enjoyable.
See Video: Stump: Best in Show

Stump was the underdog, both because of his senior status and his history. As the story goes, he left the show ring in 2004 after winning the sporting group at Westminster and later nearly died from a mysterious medical condition. He is the first of his breed to take top honors. The previous oldest winner was an eight-year-old Papillon in 1999.

Stump's shiny coat, floppy ears and confident-but-laid-back demeanor stole the hearts of the crowd and the judges. His competition included a giant schnauzer that was the nation's top show dog, a standard poodle with 94 best-in-show wins, a Brussels griffon, a Scottish deerhound, a Scottish terrier and a puli.

"He really is retired this time," his handler Scott Sommer told the Associated Press.
Nearly 2,500 dogs in total were entered at Westminster this year.

The odds were against Stump, the ten-year-old Sussex Spaniel, who won the 133rd annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show.


AGAINST the ODDS:
For one thing STUMP is OLD, a senior in dog years - 10. He re-emerged from retirement after taking a 5 year hiatus from the show ring (Stump won the sporting group in Westminster in 2004).

No purpose, no energy, no p'zazz. Poor Stump, a champion at heart, went a wastin'. He spent 19 long, sad days in a pet hospital. Once recovered, Stump hung tight with his handler, Scott Sommer, living the dog's life!

STUMP LONGS FOR THE GREEN CARPET:
Five days before this show, Sommer took Stump for one last walk on the green carpet at the Garden.

And WOWZER! The old Stump returned, strutting and panting with style. Ears a floppin'. Walking like a champion, happy energy soaring. And, as they say, the rest is DOGstory!

Vegas odds expert John Avello, who compiled odds for this year's Westminster show, gave Stump, the Sussex spaniel odds of 275-to-1 to win it all.

Stump proved that attitude reigns supreme. Age is merely a number. And if your ears are floppy and cute enough, you're a winner no matter.

LIFE LESSONS LEARNED FROM A DOG:

If Stump can, YOU CAN! (Not win the Westminster; but WIN!!!)

Take REALITY and toss it out the window. Odds - shmodds!

YOU make your own rules!

EXPERIENCE matters; age can trump youth!

CLAIM WHAT'S YOURS!!!Be the winner you are; follow your heart, your star, your bliss! Be inspired
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Hope you enjoyed this post as much as Stump enjoyed the Dog Show this year