Local dog competes for championship

Ben Cecarelli, seen here with his dog Cash.

by Michael Nowotny

Mountain Home News

Mountain Home resident Ben Ceccarelli and his three-year-old smooth fox terrier, Cash, will soon take part in the prestigious American Kennel Club/Eukanuba National Championship.

Ben and Cash, a competitor in the Junior Showmanship class, will join a field of 154 other junior handlers in this year's event.

Ceccarelli was excited after he and Cash earned their fifth win in the open/intermediate level of the Junior Showmanship class, because that win guaranteed their qualification.

"We were pretty stoked and ready to keep moving on," said Ceccarelli.

Including the qualification for five first-place wins, Ceccarelli must also maintain a 3.0 grade point average in school to take part in the competition.

Ceccarelli was awarded $1,000 from the ICCKC Kennel Club in recognition of Cash qualifying for the event. Among Cash's championship competitors are dogs from all over the world including Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.

The National Championship is the largest prize money dog show in the world with a prize pool totalling $225,000.

The competitors earned invitations to the Eukanuba National Championship by ranking in the top 25 of their breed based on breed points accumulated at AKC shows, receiving an all-breed Best In Show win at any AKC show during the qualifying period, winning "Best of Breed" at any AKC parent club national specialty and completing their AKC championship in the Bred By Exhibitor Class.

During the event, the judges would take a group of dogs and line them up. Then the dogs are judged for their physical standards, and then gait or trot with their handlers in both a roundabout and a vertical pattern, until the smaller dogs take their turn by being posed on a table.

Following the gaiting, the judges pick a preliminary cut from the group, and then those finalists go on to compete in the finals for the Best Junior Handler award.

This year's American Kennel Club/Eukanuba National Championship will take place in Long Beach, Ca. on Dec. 13 and the show will air on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel on Jan. 31, 2009.

Ceccarelli picked up Cash from Becky Noe, a Colorado resident, who sent Ceccarelli an e-mail answering Ceccarelli's request for a smooth fox terrier, and now she and Ceccarelli are co-owners of Cash.

Cash's registered name is Blue Rose Walk The Line, in remembrance of the late country musician Johnny Cash.

Among the accolades won by Cash have been his six open/intermediate wins, Best In Match won last year, a Best In Show during a "fun match" or a mock dog show and the most notable of all, Cash was dubbed Champion of his breed. Ceccarelli has won five Best Junior Handler awards.

"I'm just glad, I'm very proud that we worked long and hard at this, since I got him as a young puppy. I look forward to Cash doing a good job and plan on competing next year," said Ceccarelli.