Sealyham Terrier, Stache, wins Best in Show at 2023 National Dog Show

A friendly, tail-wagging 3-year-old male Sealyham Terrier named “Stache” charmed his way to winning the 22nd annual “National Dog Show Presented by Purina.” Handled by terrier breeder icon Margery Good, of Cochranville, Pennsylvania, the proud, confident terrier embodies 50 years of Good’s breeding program. 

The National Dog Show, which is televised on NBC on Thanksgiving Day, is also an icon. It is the most widely viewed dog show in America, reaching nearly 21 million people annually, and is the only benched dog show in the country. John O’Hurley of Seinfeld fame and dog show analyst David Frei have been co-hosts since the show began in 2002, presenting an entertaining program that blends expertise and humor. 

Hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, the show included 1,866 dogs of 200-plus breeds. All the Group winners and the Best In Show winner, Stache, are fed Purina Pro Plan dog food. Stache is the 13th consecutive Best In Show winner that is fed Pro Plan. 

The No. 2 Terrier and No. 12 all-breed dog in the country, MBIS/MBISS Goodspice Efbe Money Stache is the No. 1 Sealyham Terrier all systems, a position he has held since 2021. In October, Stache won the prestigious Montgomery County Kennel Club dog show outperforming 1,422 terriers. His two-year specialty career includes winning 49 Bests in Show and multiple Terrier Group Firsts. 

“The Sealyham is a very sound dog,” said Carrie A. Chase of Martinsburg, West Virginia, the Best In Show judge. “His coat and body are in excellent condition, and he has all the qualities that are important to the breed. You can tell that he loves showing. It is quite an accomplishment to produce a dog of this quality given the breed’s small gene pool.” 

“Stache is just divine and such a pleasure to show,” Good exclaimed after winning. “He is balanced and correct as this short-legged terrier should be. He thrives on attention and is extremely affectionate.” 

Good, who got her first Sealyham Terrier at age 20, opened her Goodspice Kennels in 1980 and began a career as a professional handler specializing in terrier breeds. She was named the AKC Terrier Group Breeder of the Year in 2007. She considers the Sealyham Terrier her favorite terrier breed. A rare breed, around 100 Sealyhams are registered annually by the American Kennel Club.  

Stache is reminiscent of his paternal great-grandsire, CH Efbe’s Hidalgo at Goodspice (“Charmin”), the top-winning Sealyham Terrier of all time, with 95 Bests in Show. Bred by France Bergeron, of Canton, Quebec, Canada, and handled by Good, Charmin’s many wins included Bests in Show at Crufts, the World Dog Show and Montgomery County Kennel Club. He won Terrier Group First and Second at Westminster in back-to-back years and was the No. 1 Terrier in the country for two years. 

Stache is co-owned with Bergeron, a longtime co-breeder with Good, Emily Bennett, of Morgantown, Pennsylvania, with whom Stache lives when not showing, Lucy Spiegel, of Maryland, and Sandra Middlebrooks, of Fairhope, Alabama. The spirited terrier is fed Purina Pro Plan SPORT Performance 30/20 Salmon & Rice Formula dog food. 

Joining Stache in the Best In Show ring, the other Group winners are: 

• Reserve Best In Show and Non-Sporting Group Winner: “Pumpkin,” a 4-year-old female Dalmatian, handled by Michael Scott, of Chesapeake City, Maryland, for breeder-owners Barbara Kaplan-Barrett and Dr. Edward Barrett, of Milltown, New Jersey. MBIS/MBISS Planett’s Pop Star has gone to the top of the charts to become No. 1 all systems in 2022 and is currently the No. 1 Dalmatian in breed and No. 2 in all-breed. The powerful-moving female exudes endurance and tenacity, qualities that have taken her to five Bests in Show with limited showing. She also won Best of Breed this year at the Dalmatian Club of America National Specialty. Pumpkin is fed Purina Pro Plan SPORT Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice Formula dog food.  

• Toy Group Winner: “Comet,” a 3-year-old male Shih Tzu, handled by breeder-owner Luke Ehricht, of Monclova, Ohio. The No. 1 dog in the country, MBIS/MBISS GCHP Hallmark Jolei Out Of This World has rocketed to a stellar show career winning 64 Bests in Show. For two straight years, he has been the No. 1 Shih Tzu all systems. Ehricht and his wife, Diane Ehricht, the 2008 AKC Toy Breeders of the Year, produced Comet’s great-grandsire, CH Hallmark Jolei Raggedy Andy, the top-winning Shih Tzu of all time. Comet’s co-owners are Bonnie J. Miller, DVM, of Florida, and Susan Carter of Florida. The showy Shih Tzu is fed Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Lamb & Oat Meal Formula dog food.  

• Working Group: “Carson,” a 4-year-old harlequin male Great Dane, handled by breeder-owner Darryl Pitts, of Atlanta. MBISS GCHG Stardust’s King Of Late Night RN FDC recently won the Top Twenty and Best of Opposite Sex at the Great Dane Club of America National Specialty. Carson is the winner of six Bests in Specialty Show, multiple Working Group Firsts and seven Owner-Handled Bests in Show. The dignified, gentle giant was co-bred and is co-owned by Brian and Wendy O’Donnell, of Atlanta. Carson’s litter was produced using 29-year-old frozen semen from CH Manatasquot’s James Taylor, the Best of Breed winner at Westminster in 1993. The handsome male is fed Purina Pro Plan SPORT Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice Formula dog food. 

• Herding Group: “Heathcliff,” a 5-year-old male German Shepherd Dog, handled by Lenny Brown of Jasper, Georgia. MBIS/MBISS Sel Ex BIF GCHG Hammersmith Heathcliff Heathcliff CGCA TKN is the No. 4 Herding dog and No. 2 shepherd all systems. The winner of seven Bests in Show, Heathcliff was bred by Anya Dobratz, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is owned by Kathleen Barrow, of Dallas, and Pat Zapf and Alyshia Funk, both of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The muscular, athletic male is fed Purina Pro Plan SPORT Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice Formula dog food.  

• Hound Group: “Yaro,” a 2½-year-old male Azawakh, handled by Giuseppe “Pino” Renzulli of Miami. GCHS Starfire’s Kamikaze Of Orisha was bred by Tony Cabrera and Fabian Arienti and is owned by Dr. Essie Yates and her husband, Jordan Yates, all of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The athletic, graceful sighthound is No. 1 all systems. The Best of Opposite Sex winner at Westminster in 2022, Yaro is also an international achiever who won Group Two at the World Dog Show in Madrid in 2022 and is a Spanish Kennel Club show champion. The stunning sighthound is fed Purina Pro Plan SPORT Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice Formula dog food. 

• Sporting Group: “M,” a 5-year-old male Chesapeake Bay Retriever, handled by breeder-owner Patty Martin of Alexandria, Ohio. GCHS Aridawn’s Madison CGC is No. 5 in all-breed and No. 8 in breed with limited showing. The beautiful-moving Chessie has won a Reserve Best In Show and multiple Sporting Group Firsts. An Award of Merit recipient at the American Chesapeake Club National Specialty in 2022, M represents the 37-year breeding program of Aridawn show champions, many of which go on to successful careers in hunting tests. M is fed Purina Pro Plan SPORT Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice Formula dog food. 

Congratulations to these 2023 National Dog Show winners!