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Elmhurst resident Lisa Sons has only been training show dogs for four years but can already an boast a Best in Show dog.
Sons’ Norwich terrier, BIS Abbedale Take Two at Taliesin, or simply Sage, is a 2-year-old tour de force that has already taken 16 best in group awards, and now has her sights set on the American Kennel Club/Eukanuba National Championship in December.
“My mom used to take me to the International (Kennel Club of Chicago) Dog Show in the winter,” Sons said. “I’ve always wanted to try it.”
The AKC/Eukanuba show, from Dec. 12 to Dec. 13 in Long Beach, Calif., is the largest prize money dog show in the world, awarding a total of $225,000 in prize money.
Sons and Sage will join nearly 3,000 other dogs from all 50 states and more than 70 countries at the show, which will air on Animal Planet and Discovery Channel in February.
Sage will compete in the terrier group, one of the most stacked divisions in competition this year, with the reigning number one dog in the world being a Scottish terrier.
“Sage is the number two Norwich terrier in the country,” Sons said. “I’m hoping she wins best of breed. Obviously, I would love for her to place in group, too, but there’s a lot of tough competition out there.”
As a show dog, Sage’s full name seems more fit for royalty than a canine, but Sons breaks it down with simple explanations.
BIS stands for Best in Show, a title awarded to any dog who has won the honor at a dog show. Abbedale is for Abbedale Kennels in Kalamazoo, Mich., where Sage was bred. Take Two at Taliesin implies that Sage is the second show dog Sons has owned and that she is a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, whose summer home in Wisconsin was named Taliesin.
Abbedale Kennels breeder Joan Eckert, who sold Sage to Sons, said Norwichs make for unique terriers.
“They’re very cute and very expressive, that’s why they’re so popular right now,” she said. “Sage has got just a remarkable, beautiful coat, beautiful pigment ... by far one of the best things I’ve bred, in the top 5 percent of dogdom.”
Although not very popular with common dog owners because of difficulty breeding, Sons said Norwich terriers have much success at dog shows, with the best dog in the country in 2003 being a very similar Norfolk terrier.
Sons said after Eukanuba, Sage will enter the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in February at Madison Square Garden, widely considered to be America’s most prestigious dog show.
Elmhurst resident Lisa Sons has only been training show dogs for four years but can already an boast a Best in Show dog.
Sons’ Norwich terrier, BIS Abbedale Take Two at Taliesin, or simply Sage, is a 2-year-old tour de force that has already taken 16 best in group awards, and now has her sights set on the American Kennel Club/Eukanuba National Championship in December.
“My mom used to take me to the International (Kennel Club of Chicago) Dog Show in the winter,” Sons said. “I’ve always wanted to try it.”
The AKC/Eukanuba show, from Dec. 12 to Dec. 13 in Long Beach, Calif., is the largest prize money dog show in the world, awarding a total of $225,000 in prize money.
Sons and Sage will join nearly 3,000 other dogs from all 50 states and more than 70 countries at the show, which will air on Animal Planet and Discovery Channel in February.
Sage will compete in the terrier group, one of the most stacked divisions in competition this year, with the reigning number one dog in the world being a Scottish terrier.
“Sage is the number two Norwich terrier in the country,” Sons said. “I’m hoping she wins best of breed. Obviously, I would love for her to place in group, too, but there’s a lot of tough competition out there.”
As a show dog, Sage’s full name seems more fit for royalty than a canine, but Sons breaks it down with simple explanations.
BIS stands for Best in Show, a title awarded to any dog who has won the honor at a dog show. Abbedale is for Abbedale Kennels in Kalamazoo, Mich., where Sage was bred. Take Two at Taliesin implies that Sage is the second show dog Sons has owned and that she is a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, whose summer home in Wisconsin was named Taliesin.
Abbedale Kennels breeder Joan Eckert, who sold Sage to Sons, said Norwichs make for unique terriers.
“They’re very cute and very expressive, that’s why they’re so popular right now,” she said. “Sage has got just a remarkable, beautiful coat, beautiful pigment ... by far one of the best things I’ve bred, in the top 5 percent of dogdom.”
Although not very popular with common dog owners because of difficulty breeding, Sons said Norwich terriers have much success at dog shows, with the best dog in the country in 2003 being a very similar Norfolk terrier.
Sons said after Eukanuba, Sage will enter the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in February at Madison Square Garden, widely considered to be America’s most prestigious dog show.
