Herzlichen Glückwunsch an Merlin`s Enkel Rufus

Merlin von der Alten Veste

From Holmdel to the canine heights for Rufus
Westminster champ takes big bite of Big Apple status
Thursday, February 16, 2006
BY VICKI HYMAN
Star-Ledger Staff
Rufus, the colored bull terrier from New Jersey who took Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Tuesday night, proceeded to party like a proper celebrity, hitting the bars before making the rounds of the morning television chatfests, posing for adoring fans and enjoying a luncheon of top ground sirloin (raw).

Today: Sex. A stud's work is never done.

Rufus, whose owners are Barbara and Tom Bishop of Holmdel, is the first colored bull terrier to take top honors at the world's most prestigious dog show, and the first bull terrier to do so since 1918.

He is the second Jersey dog in three years to win Westminster. Josh (Ch. Darbydale's All Rise Pouch Cove), a Newfoundland owned by David and Peggy Helming of Flemington and Carol Bernard Bergmann, won in 2004. Deputy Dawg (Ch. Margetta's National Acclaim), a pointer owned by Mike Zollo of Bedminster, was Best in Show in 1996.

Rufus' official name is Ch. Rocky Top's Sundance Kid, and he descends from greatness. His father is Einstein the Joker, now retired but once a European World Champion, and his grandfather was Merlin von der Alten Veste, who was apparently quite the stud in Germany. (And Rufus' 7-month-old daughter, Sarafina, is an up-and-comer.)

Rufus, who is almost 6 years old, with a beautiful tan and white coat and perfect egg-shaped head, has been racking up titles for some time, and the Westminster Best in Show gives Rufus what his owners referred to as the Triple Crown, after wins at the Morris & Essex Show in Somerset County in October and the National Dog Show in Philadelphia in November.

To win Best in Show at Westminster, it's not enough to be pretty. He had to meet every standard of his particular breed and exhibit the greatest perfection of all 2,622 competitors at the two-day extravaganza at Madison Square Garden.

After the win, Rufus and his entourage hit the Garden's Play By Play sports bar, then made an appearance at a private party before returning to the bars. They all hit the sack at about 4 a.m. and got up an hour later for a round of interviews, including CBS' "Early Show" and ABC's "Good Morning America" (Diane Sawyer got a yawn).

A crew from VH1's "Best Week Ever" tailed the dog through midtown Manhattan and, between interviews, Tom Bishop and the 75-pound Rufus shared a pillow in the back of their van. But Rufus rallied for an early afternoon luncheon at Sardi's, where a throng of photographers, television crews and dog lovers awaited the champion's arrival.

"Please do not crowd the dog!" someone called out as Rufus was led into a private dining room, where a waiter presented the dog with sirloin on a silver platter.

Westminster Kennel Club