Warren Remedy: First Best in Show Champion

Warren Remedy was Westminster Kennel Club's first dog to win Best in Show.

Painting of Warren Remedy by Gustav Muss-Arnolt

The Westminster Kennel Club, named after a long gone hotel in Manhattan, is America's oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs. It was established in 1877 with a mission "to celebrate the companionship of dogs while promoting responsible dog ownership, health, and breed preservation".

The first Best in Show was in 1907, and the winner was a 20-month-old smooth-coated fox terrier named Warren Remedy owned by Winthrop Rutherfurd. She also won in 1908 and 1909 - the only dog to win on three occasions. (The terrier group is the most successful group, with 47 wins out of 111 occasions.)

Warren Remedy passed away in 1912 on Rutherfurd's farm in New Jersey.

Dogs Help William Pickett Become a Champion

It is said that William Pickett (one of the first great rodeo cowboys) invented bulldogging, also known as steer wrestling, by observing cattle dogs.

William (Will, Bill) Pickett was born of black and Indian descent in Texas on December 5, 1870. At an early age, he went to work on a ranch. He soon learned how to bulldog (wrestle to the ground) a steer by jumping off his horse onto the back of the animal, grabbing its horns, twisting its neck and biting its lower lip. Some sources say he got the bulldogging idea after watching how cattle dogs brought down unruly steers by grasping their noses in their teeth. (I'm assuming these cattle dogs were bulldogs because of the name and because of the way they were used in the past in the blood sport of bull-baiting.)

Pickett soon started his own business, claiming to specialize in catching and taming wild cattle. To help supplement his income, he would demonstrate his bulldogging skills at county fairs and other public events. He entered his first rodeo in 1888, and in 1905, he joined the 101 Ranch Wild West Show and traveled all over America and in Mexico, South America, Canada and England - there were times he was forced to identify himself as Indian or Mexican because blacks were banned from the rodeo. He was given the nicknames "The Bull-Dogger" and "The Dusky Demon", and was billed as "the world's colored champion" in death defying feats of courage and skill.

Pickett died in 1932 after being kicked in the head by a horse. In 1971, he was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame, and in 1989, he was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.

Steer wrestling continues today (minus the lip biting), but like other rodeo events, it is under fire by animal rights advocates.

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Bluey: Holds the Record as the Oldest Dog in the World

Bluey is famous for having lived a long life of 29 years, 5 months and 7 days.

Les Hall and Bluey

There are claims of other dogs having lived longer but none could be proven. Bluey is currently listed with the Guinness World Records as the oldest dog.

Bluey was born on June 7, 1910. He was an Australian cattle dog owned by Les and Esma Hall of Rochester, Victoria, Australia. He herded cattle and sheep for 20 years and was fed a diet of kangaroos and emus. Bluey died on November 14, 1939 when the family decided to have him put to sleep.

Bellybutton: Deep Diving Dog

Bellybutton was a unique dog in history for his ability to dive underwater.

Bellybutton was a German shorthaired pointer who was three years old at the time this photo was taken by LIFE magazine in 1966. Bellybutton began swimming when he was a puppy and later took up diving. For a dog to go far underwater and to be able to hold its breath for long periods is unusual but Bellybutton was able to swim underwater for distances up to 20 feet and was able to remain submerged for up to 15 seconds. It was also reported that one day Bellybutton "dived unbidden into a lake and fetched his master a 10-inch catfish."

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Jim: Champion Dog With Remarkable Powers

Jim the Wonder Dog became famous in history for his hunting skills, intelligence and psychic abilities.

On March 10, 1925 a Llewellyn setter gave birth to a litter of seven puppies in Louisiana. The puppies, who were born of pureblood champion field stock, sold for a decent price - except for the runt of the litter. The ungainly looking pup was sold for about half the price and the buyer gave the dog as a joke to a fellow hunter named Sam Van Arsdale in West Plains, Missouri.

Van Arsdale worked with a trainer to train Jim to hunt. Jim didn't show much promise, as he laid in the shade watching the other dogs learn. However, apparently Jim was paying attention. When taken to the field for the first time to hunt quail, Jim knew exactly what to do. He immediately went to a covey of quail, came to a perfect point, held steady until a bird was shot, and brought the bird to Van Arsdale when commanded to fetch. In fact, Jim had a sense where the quail were and refused to hunt if there were no birds in the area. The two traveled from state to state on hunts, and Jim fetched more than 5,000 birds during his hunting career, more than any other dog. He was termed "The Hunting Dog of the Century" by Missouri Life and Missouri Conservationist magazines.

One hot day, while on a hunt, Van Arsdale told Jim they should rest a bit under a hickory tree. To his surprise, the dog went right to the hickory tree which stood among other types of trees. To satisfy his curiosity of whether or not Jim really understood what he said, Van Arsdale told the dog to go to other specific trees, which he did perfectly.

Realizing there was something special about Jim, Van Arsdale began asking his dog to locate other objects, like a red car. Not only was he able to spot a car of certain color, or even a car with a specific license plate number, he was able to answer questions like "What made Henry Ford rich?" by walking over to a Model-T Ford. He was also accurate at picking out people, like a lady in a blue dress. While visiting a town they have never been, Van Arsdale asked Jim in front of a crowd of people "What would I do if I had a stomach ache?" Jim walked over to the town physician and nudged the doctor gently. Jim even amazed his master when someone in the crowd said something in French. Jim walked over to a man and began nudging him. "What did you say to Jim?" Van Arsdale asked the man who spoke. He replied "I asked if there was a Bible in the crowd". The man Jim nudged was a minister, who pulled out a small Testament from his inside coat pocket. It was later learned that Jim could understand commands in other languages, including Spanish, Italian, German and Greek.

Van Arsdale was invited to Jefferson City to demonstrate Jim's powers before a joint session of the Missouri legislature. The legislators were impressed with Jim's accuracy, especially when the commands were given in shorthand and in Morse code.

The press was fascinated by what they witnessed, and Jim's story spread across the US. He was known as Jim the Wonder Dog, and was even featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not.

Van Arsdale also discovered his dog was capable of predicting the outcome of future events. He was able to foretell the gender of unborn babies, the victors of the 1936 presidential election and World Series, and the winner of the Kentucky Derby for seven straight years (Jim's predictions of the derby winners were locked in a safe and revealed after the races). Van Arsdale refused to take advantage of his dog's knowledge by betting or allowing others to reap a profit from Jim's uncanny ability. He kept Jim close by, always worried that gambling interests would steal his dog. He even turned down a substantial amount of money from Paramount and a dog food company just so he could keep his beloved dog nearby. Besides, he did not wish to profit in any way on the talent he considered to be God-given.

Curious to how and why Jim could perform as he did, Van Arsdale took Jim to the University of Missouri to be tested. Dr. Durant, the head of the School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Dickinson, another respected animal scientist, and others including psychiatrists from Washington University in St. Louis participated in the study. To start, Durant gave Jim a thorough medical examination. He determined Jim to be like any other Llewellyn setter with a few exceptions: a wider than normal span across the brow, a greater distance from the brow to the top of the head, and unusual (large, piercing, human-like) eyes. The next step was to have Jim perform before several hundred students, professors and on-lookers as well as a Paramount News team. Jim was asked many questions by Van Arsdale and language professors. He was unable to answer only one when a faculty member asked him to find a boy who had just had a permanent wave made to his hair - the embarrassed kid ran away before Jim could get to him. Everyone was amazed with Jim's abilities, including Durant who had been skeptical about the whole thing. Surely, a hoaxer couldn’t master a half-dozen languages. The professors concluded Jim possessed an occult power that might never come again to a dog in many generations.

Jim passed away on March 18, 1937 at the age of 12. Van Arsdale considered Jim one of the family and requested that he be buried in the family plot in the Ridge Park Cemetery in Marshall. The authorities would not allow it but they did agree to let him be buried just outside the cemetery fence with a grave stone, "since Jim was smarter than most people in here, anyhow." The cemetery eventually grew, expanding around Jim. Caretakers say his is the most visited grave there and is seldom without flowers and coins left on it.

Marshall, Missouri

In 1999, a small town garden was dedicated to Jim the Wonder Dog.

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Pickles: 1966 World Cup Champion

Ok, maybe Pickles the dog did not win the World Cup but he did become famous in history for finding the stolen trophy.

In March 1966, the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from a public display four months before the World Cup was due to kick off at Wembley Stadium in London. A week later it was found by a black and white collie named Pickles.

Pickles and his owner Dave Corbett were going for an evening walk when Pickles spotted a package, tightly wrapped in newspaper, under a small tree near their south London home. Because the IRA were active in those days, Corbett was hesitant to open the package thinking it might be a bomb but his curiosity got the best of him. He tore a little bit of the newspaper off and saw a shield which he recognized right away as being the stolen trophy - minus a piece of the trophy.

The missing piece along with a ransom note was received earlier by English Football Association chairman Joe Mears. Mears alerted the authorities and agreed to meet the extortionist who identified himself as "Jackson". When the exchange was made the police arrested "Jackson" who was later identified as Edward Betchley, a 47 year old dockworker and petty thief. Betchley claimed to be only a middleman and said he did not know where the trophy was. Whether Betchley was indeed a middleman or acting alone has never been determined.

When Corbett took the trophy to the police station he was thought to be the prime suspect. However, after being interrogated for hours he was finally cleared of any connection to the theft. Corbett received a cash reward and Pickles was given a medal. Overnight, Pickles became a national hero for helping England avoid an international embarrassment. He made numerous television appearances and later played a part in the spy film The Spy With a Cold Nose.

After England beat West Germany, winning the World Cup, Corbett and Pickles were invited to the winner's banquet at a London hotel. Bobby Moore, the captain of England's national team, held the trophy then Pickles above his head while standing on a balcony in front of thousands of fans cheering them on. The pampered dog received a friendly pat on the head from the British Prime Minister Harold Wilson, got to lick Corbett's dinner plate clean, and wasn't even scolded when he did a wee near an elevator in the posh hotel.

Unfortunately, Pickles died the following year at an early age. Corbett's young son was walking Pickles when the dog spotted a cat. Pickles, who did not like cats, broke free and was later found hanging up a tree, choked by his collar. Corbett buried their beloved pet in their back garden underneath a small plaque that reads "Pickles, Finder of the World Cup 1966".

Huddersfield Ben: Champion Show Dog

Huddersfield Ben became famous in history as a popular stud dog who won many prizes in the show ring, and is considered to be "the father of modern yorkies".

Portrait of Huddersfield Ben painted by the famous artist George Earl

Huddersfield Ben was bred by Mr. W. Eastwood in the town of Huddersfield, England and owned by Mary Ann Foster of Bradford in West Yorkshire England. Ben was born in 1865 and is credited with being the foundation sire for the Yorkshire terrier breed. He was the most sought after stud dog at the time. He weighed about 11 pounds, bigger than today's standard, but consistently produced litters of smaller sizes. In 1891, an authority on the breed wrote "Huddersfield Ben was the best stud dog of his breed during his lifetime, and one of the most remarkable dogs of any pet breed that ever lived."

Huddersfield Ben was obedient and had great poise. He was a champion show dog, having won 74 prizes throughout his career. He placed second in Manchester in 1869 and first in 1870. He also won first prize at the Crystal Palace in 1870 and second prize the year after.

Ben also achieved local celebrity status by winning rat-baiting competitions, a blood sport that involved placing rats in an enclosed area and then taking bets on how long it would take the dog to kill them or on how many the dog could kill within a given time frame. Terriers were bred to kill rats and other vermin and were used in the mills and mines to help control the rat population. They were also used as ratters during WWI in the trenches. Rat-baiting competitions (using rats for the purpose of entertainment) is now illegal in most countries.

Huddersfield Ben died in 1871 when he was run over by a carriage. Although his life was short, it is said to this day every Yorkshire terrier descends from him, mostly through ten of his sons and one daughter - the most prominent being Huddersfield Ben II, Mozart, Old Royal, Emperor, Hirst's Peter, Bismarc, Bruce and Old Alice. Ben's body was preserved and is on display somewhere in England.

King Buck: From Sick Pup to National Champ

King Buck had a rough start in life but overcame a severe illness and became famous in history as a National Duck Retriever champion and the first dog to appear on a wildlife stamp.

On April 3, 1948, a black Labrador retriever was born in Storm Lake, Iowa. The puppy who showed early promise as a good gun dog was sold to Robert Howard of Omaha for $50. Shortly after Howard brought him home, the puppy developed distemper and became very sick. Howard placed the little dog in a basket by the basement furnace and his wife tended the puppy (who was too weak to even stand) almost constantly. For weeks, the small retriever clung to life, and Howard was advised several times to have him put down. The loving attention Howard's wife provided finally paid off. “One night I went downstairs to have a look at him,” Howard said, “and he managed to stand in his basket and greet me. I knew then that he was going to make it.”

The little Labrador was very thin and not eating well, but he would get out in the field and run around as best as he could. This gave Howard hope that his determined dog will become a good gun dog so he decided to name him Buck. He had owned several dogs named Buck and liked "the yell of it," for it was an easily-heard call name. Thinking he might someday rank high in his class, he named him King Buck.

By the time Buck was 18 months old, his appetite and weight increased, and he began his first real field hunting. He had some impressive early victories in field trials but also marked poorly at times. Howard could not afford to run the dog in top-flight trials so he sold him to Byron Grunwald of Omaha for $500 in 1949, with the stipulation that he could continue to train Buck and handle him in trials. Buck went on to win first, second and third places in various field trials, but still had bad days. After one trial, a judge told Howard, “That dog is nothing but a runner and will never amount to anything. If you’re smart, you’ll get rid of him.”

Two weeks after that trial, Buck displayed a breathtaking ability to handle and "take a line", winning the open at Eagle, Wisconsin. Soon after, he won two second places and completed his field trial championship. John Olin of Alton, Illinois - founder of the Nilo Farms and Nilo Kennels - was on the lookout for good retrievers to stock his new kennel and King Buck caught his attention. In 1951, Grunwald sold Buck to Olin for a substantial amount of money, and famous trainer Cotton Pershall began working with the dog. King Buck was soon placed high among the nation's top retrievers. According to Pershall “He wasn’t a big dog as Labs go, but he had great style. Always quiet and well-behaved, not excitable nor flashy. He just went steadily ahead with his job, series after series, whether on land or water.”

King Buck and John Olin

King Buck completed an unprecedented 63 series in the National Championship Stake, and in 1952 and 1953 he was the National Retriever Field Trial Club champion. This accomplishment was not duplicated by any other dog for nearly 40 years. In 1959, Buck was the first dog to appear on a US Fish and Wildlife Service duck stamp - the only time the stamp has ever featured anything other than some type of waterfowl.

King Buck died on March 28, 1962, one week before his 14th birthday. His body was placed in a small crypt near the entrance of the kennel with a statue of him above his grave.