Westminster winner, top show dog is a real 'princess'

Will Alexander said he's convinced Miss P, a champion show beagle, knows she's a VIP (meaning, of course, very important pooch).

“She is the ultimate showgirl,” said Alexander, the four-year-old dog's handler, who lives in Milton, Ont. “She thinks everybody is there to see her. She's a princess through and through.”

Miss P, whose full name is Tashtins Lookin for Trouble, made it to the pinnacle of the show dog world in February — she was named best in show at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City.

The dog — owned by Lori and Kaitlyn Crandlemire of Enderby, B.C., along with American Eddie Dziuk — has since retired from competition, but still lives with Alexander.

She travelled with him to the Nickel District Kennel Club Dog Show, which takes place at the Toe Blake Memorial Arena in Coniston March 27-29.

“She's with me all the time,” said Alexander, who showed 10 dogs at the Nickel District dog show. “I'm here for the dog show. I like clubs to see her.”

Winning Westminster was “overwhelming, of course,” he said. “But she'd beaten all of those dogs before, so it was just a bigger stage.”

Dog show judges are looking for the pooch that best fits the ideal of the breed, but also has personality, he explained. That's something Miss P has in droves.

“She's still a beagle, so she has her own mind, where she smells something and she wants to wander off,” said Alexander.

Although Miss P is retired from competition, she's still much in demand. In fact, Alexander and the dog are set to drop the puck at the March 30 Chicago Blackhawks game.

It's always fun to have a celebrity dog around, said Richard Paquette, show chairman of the Nickel District dog show.

“It's an honour to have Miss P here along with her handler, William Alexander,” he said. “She's ranked one of the top show dogs in the world.”

Those who want to meet Miss P should head to the Coniston arena, where the dog show is running from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 27-29.