Choice Wild West: A Tribute (page 3 of 4)

	Wild West honored as Dog of the Year

Over his 8-year show career, Wessu won 58 Best of Breeds and 19 Best In Shows. This might not seem all that impressive until you consider that the total number of shows offered are limited and therefore, Wessu usually only competed in 10-12 shows per year. As a matter of fact, in 1986 he only attended 6 shows as a freak accident in the middle of the year gave him a broken leg, causing him to limp for pretty much the remainder of that year.

What made Wessu so special? We believe it was a combination of things, including a sound and appealing conformation in all respects and extraordinary movement, but most importantly, such a strong sense of pride that his will to win was unrelenting. Spectators at the shows were always amazed as he would sleep oblivious to any commotion around him until right before show time when he would reluctantly stand up (half asleep) for the finishing touches and then, when it was time to enter the ring, grow about 2 inches and strut into the ring as the true king he was. At home, his immense pride came across despite his gracious and social manners.

Wild West winning SBIS at 9 yrs of age

Breeder-judge Andrew Brace best described him in his tribute to Wessu in Dog World following his death in 1989: “He was one of those dogs who had an aura of greatness, wherever he was - not just in the ring”. As for the written commentary on conformation Wessu gained during his career (compulsory in the Nordic countries), our favorite was issued by breeder-judge Keith Thornton, who at Skokloster in 1984 simply wrote: “This is a super dog!”

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