Move Over Westminster: Best in Glow!

Michael Mountain, of Stubby Dog Project, compares Westminster champ Hickory to rescue survivor and inspiration, Jubilee.

Kudos to Hickory for winning Best in Show at Westminster.

Hickory (a.k.a. Grand Champion Foxcliffe Hickory Wind) comes from a grand heritage of Scottish Deerhounds dating back to the 16th Century. She lives on a 56-acre farm in horse country, Virginia, where she’s considered a doggie diva.

Jubilee (a.k.a. Big Mama Jubilee) is a Pit Bull mix who was rescued from the streets of Albany, New York, and taken to the local shelter. When she got no adoption offers, Jubilee was going to be killed in order to make room for newcomers, but Nancy, her original rescuer, came by and rescued her once again, taking her to a boarding facility and then telling her friend, Amy Willey, about her. A few days later, Amy and her husband adopted Jubilee.

Hickory beat the odds at Westminster after a Las Vegas expert gave her only a 60-1 chance of winning in a field of 2,600 dogs in 179 breeds. (The odds were just for fun; there’s no real betting at the dog show.)

Jubilee beat the odds at the city shelter – in a field of about a million and a half Pit Bulls who are looking for homes each year, and where the odds of being adopted are very small indeed.

Hickory the Scottish deer hound is celebrating her victory at Westminster with a photo op at the top of the Empire State Building.

Jubilee is celebrating at home, where she’ll be spending the day playing with her “brother”, Frankie, another Pit Bull mix who’s her best buddy.

Hickory’s family say they plan to breed her in hopes of producing more show dogs and keeping the line going.

Jubilee has been spayed, so she won’t be adding to the number of unwanted dogs and cats still dying at shelters every year.

Hickory and Jubilee and both beautiful dogs, beloved by their families, both talented and fortunate, each in their own way.

Hickory won her honors from the judge at Westminster, Paolo Dondina, who lives in Italy and has bred Beagles, spaniels and Jack Russell Terriers. One of his dogs won Best in Show at the prestigious British Crufts Dog Show in 1975.

Jubilee won her honors when we counted the number of “Likes” she got on Facebook after we published her story there. Most of the people who “Liked” her are also the proud guardians of rescued Pit Bulls, many of whom have won prizes in agility and awards in good citizenship.

Speaking of Hickory, Judge Dondina said: “She’s got everything: the movement, the presence. It’s a dog for the big show.”

Speaking of Jubilee, her mom, Amy, says, “Jubilee is a happy soul who brings smiles to the faces of everyone she meets. She works every day to help change the world, one heart and one mind at a time.

You can read more about Hickory all over the Web today with a quick Google search.

You can read more about Jubilee, as told by Amy, right here.

This article originally appeared here on stubbydog.org.




Michael Mountain is one of the founders of Best Friends Animal Society, the nation’s largest animal sanctuary and one of the pioneers of the no-kill movement for homeless pets. As president of Best Friends and editor of Best Friends magazine, he helped to build grassroots adoption and spay/neuter programs all over the country before stepping down in 2008. He currently is the editor and co-founder of Zoe— a new online magazine for people who care about animals, nature and the environment — and the co-founder of StubbyDog, which is working to change public perceptions of Pit Bulls.

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