Hooch Hits Westminster

A newly recognized American Kennel Club breed will compete at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show for the very first time at approximately 9:30 am in Ring 3 on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009.

The Dogue de Bordeaux is an ancient French member of the mastiff family that bears a close resemblance to the popular Bullmastiff. Since the breed gained full recognition into the Working Group on July 1, 2008, there has been time for owners to finish their dogs’ championships and enter the show by the fall deadline. Fifteen of the behemoths are expected to wow spectators.

Most Americans of a certain age will remember the breed’s muscular body, massive head, and stocky build – not to mention gallons of drool – from the popular 1989 movie “Turner and Hooch” that partnered mega-star Tom Hanks with a loose-lipped sidekick of the DDB persuasion.

Happily DDBs don’t produce drool in the quantity that the movie suggested, but by the same token fastidious housekeepers may not see this breed as the perfect canine fit.

To read more about these wrinkly cuties, check out Dogchannel.com