I am a dog person, and my favorite breed of all is the Sussex spaniel. They’re simply great dogs. They make you laugh like bassets, they have beautiful coats like Irish setters, they’re long and low like dachshunds, they have the expression of Newfoundlands, and they amble like bears. They’re very rare in the U.S. Several years ago I launched a search for a Sussex pup, only to be told that there wasn’t a single one in this country.
In search of Sussex companionship, a half dozen or so years ago we attended a dog show in the DC area where, we had been advised, an unusually large number of Sussex entries would be competing. We had a great time meeting and greeting a dozen or so Sussexes. And then there appeared a Sussex who was so astonishing that I couldn’t take my eyes or my hands off of him. He had it all. He was the Ubersussex, so superb an embodiment of his breed that even I, a relative novice Sussexistically, was instantly able to recognize his wonderfulness.
Last night that very dog, the one I had marveled at and petted and gotten all mushy about — Stump — was judged Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club show in New York City, establishing him as a superstar. I already knew that and am delighted that now others will know it, too.
