Ruger likes nothing better than a cooling soak at the Barkaritaville dog park with a little help from Suzanne .
So , Ruger was entered in two more shows in Clemson , South Carolina . He took a Select second place ribbon the first day and Best of Breed first place ribbon the second day . With these amazing wins in such a short time , the Bradys decided to go for Ruger ’ s grand championship . At the next show in Brooksville , Florida , Ruger won ribbons every day and Best of Breed the last three days accumulating 24 points . He needed just one more to become a grand champion .
Then came the Strawberry Classic in Lakeland , Florida with 48 flat-coated retrievers entered . Ruger won Best of Breed and became a grand champion .
“ We could not believe what was happening with our boy ,” exclaims James . “ After all , we just wanted a pet .”
As the top-ranked dog in his breed in the country , Ruger became eligible to compete at Westminster . On June 22 , he competed at the 146th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in Tarrytown , New York . There were 27 flat coats and Ruger made the cut of 11 but didn ’ t win . The winner was Ceilidh Wild Irish Rose , aka Rosie , who has been showing longer than Ruger .
“ There ’ s always next year ,” says James . And what he calls the Ruger Express just keeps on rolling . The Bradys will continue showing Ruger this year to work toward keeping him in the top five for eligibility to compete at Westminster 2023 .