JUNIOR SHOWMANSHIP FINALS JUDGE
MRS . VICKI SEILER-CUSHMAN of Xenia , Ohio , began showing dogs when she was 12 years old , winning a group fourth at Westminster when she was 14 with her Siberian Husky , Ch . Lobo Rey . She competed in Junior Showmanship , finding it to be one of the best experiences for growing friendships and learning to compete gracefully . Vicki became a professional handler guiding many top-winning dogs in all seven groups . She has piloted dogs to more than 200 Best in Show wins and won two awards for her handling from Kennel Review Magazine ( Top New Professional Handler and Female Handler of the Year ). She was honored to judge for the Westminster Kennel Club ( 2019 ), Morris and Essex Kennel Club ( 2021 ), The AKC National Championship ( 2020 ), and The National Dog Show ( 2022 ). Vicki is on the board of the Dayton Kennel Club , a Member of the Doberman Pinscher Club of America ( Chairman of the Judges Education Committee ), and The Giant Schnauzer Club of America .
Mrs . Seiler-Cushman is a Procter and Gamble retiree and judges more than 80 breeds over six groups . She is married to Dr . Jeff Cushman , and together they have five children , six Chihuahuas and one Doberman . She is approved to judge the Working and Non-Sporting Groups , Sporting and Toy breeds , Junior Showmanship , and Best in Show . This is her second judging assignment at Westminster .
CENTER : JACK GRASSA
JUNIOR SHOWMANSHIP PRELIMINARY JUDGES
MISS LYDIA ARMSTRONG FREY of Wellington , Florida , began in dogs after years of watching dog shows on TV and dreaming of being in the sport . She received her first show dog , a Standard Schnauzer puppy , for her 9th birthday . From there , she traveled and learned from many breeders and professional handlers who mentored her in the sport . At 12 , she got her first Bedlington Terrier from Laurie Zembrzuski and Gaby Gilbeau of the acclaimed LAMZ Bedlington Terrier kennel . After several years of learning the breed , she became successful in both the breed and Junior Showmanship ring . At 15 , she was Best Junior Handler at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show and the World Dog Show in Milan , Italy . By the time she was 18 , she had won Best of Breed at 2 Bedlington Terrier National Specialties , holding the record for the youngest handler to do so . In recent years she had added Pointers to her household , handling several dogs to Top 5 Breed ranking positions and accumulating several wins with the help of her co-breeder and mentor , Tina McDonnell , under the prefix of Southern . She ’ s bred champion Standard Schnauzers , Bedlington Terriers , Kerry Blue Terriers , Toy Manchester Terriers , and Pointers . As the daughter of two famous horse show professionals , her life has always been focused on animal sports and events . This is her first judging assignment at Westminster .
MS . RACHEL ROBERTSON of Charlotte , North Carolina , is a first-generation dog show exhibitor . She began showing in Junior Showmanship at age nine after being introduced to the sport by her second-grade teacher , Clair Pocavich of Wisselwood Pugs . As a Junior , she qualified for Westminster five times and the AKC National Championship seven times . Throughout her time in Junior Showmanship , she showed a Smooth Collie , a Spinone Italiano , a Skye Terrier , and her beloved Shetland Sheepdogs . Ms . Robertson won Best Junior Handler at both the American Shetland Sheepdog Association and Spinone Club of America National Specialties . She was a three-time recipient of the ASSA ’ s Junior Showmanship Scholarship and won the Dog Writers Association of America ’ s Junior Writer Award for her article about Junior Showmanship . While in college , she received an AKC Junior Showmanship Scholarship . Ms . Robertson worked for Westminster Kennel Club ’ s communications team as a Broadcast Assistant in 2018 , 2019 , and 2021 . She is approved to judge Junior Showmanship and is honored to be giving back to the sport through judging . This is her first Westminster judging assignment .
WESTMINSTER There ’ s only one ®