ORLANDO, Fla. – (Jan. 5, 2022) National Champion Beats Out More Than 5,000 Dogs. GCHG CH Lagniappe’s From The Mountains To The Bayou, a Giant Schnauzer known as “Bayou” triumphed over more than 5,000 competitors to earn a $50,000 cash prize and the title of Best in Show at the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin, held December 18-19, 2021 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

“Bayou,” owned by Holly & Chris Reed & Laurie Mason & Mike Mason of Port Allen, LA and bred by Chris Reed and Holly Reed and Maryann Bisceglia and Mike Reese, was crowned “America’s National Champion” by Best in Show judge Mr. Dana P. Cline after a weekend of intense canine competition.

The overall show totals, which include the AKC Agility Invitational, the AKC Obedience Classic, the AKC Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy and Junior Stakes, AKC National Owner-Handled Series Finals, the AKC Fast CAT Invitational, and the Junior-handler events, topped 8,540 entries.

The show aired on ABC on January 2, 2022 and the live stream of all the weekend events is available on demand at AKC.tv.

Reserve Best in Show and Group Winners

Reserve Best in Show: GCHS CH Heywire N Deep Harbor Love That Dirty Water CD JH AX OAJ NF, a German Wirehaired Pointer known as “Beacon,” owned by Lee Friess & J. Jacobs & B. Brawn & P. Laurans of Portsmouth, NH and bred by Lee Friess, Jennifer Jacobs and Judy Cheshire.

After winning Best of Breed competitions the following top dogs went on to win in their respective groups and compete for Best in Show:

Sporting: GCHS CH Heywire N Deep Harbor Love That Dirty Water CD JH AX OAJ NF, a German Wirehaired Pointer known as “Beacon,” owned by Lee Friess & J. Jacobs & B. Brawn & P. Laurans of Portsmouth, NH and bred by Lee Friess, Jennifer Jacobs and Judy Cheshire.

Hound: GCHB CH Sidekick’s Life Is A Highway, a Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen, known as “Clancy,” owned by Janice Brown & Brent Humphrey of Minden, NV and bred by Brent Humphrey, Laura Offerdahl and Corey Benedict.

Working: GCHG CH Lagniappe’s From The Mountains To The Bayou, a Giant Schnauzer known as “Bayou,” owned by Holly & Chris Reed & Laurie Mason & Mike Mason of Port Allen, LA and bred by Chris Reed and Holly Reed and Maryann Bisceglia and Mike Reese.

Terrier: GCHS CH Hampton Ct Broxden Drop the Mic, a Smooth Fox Terrier known as “Boom,” owned by Victor Malzoni Jr and Amy and Phil Booth of Pimento, IN and bred by Mariah Dupuy and Heidi M Gervais.

Toy: CH Pequest Fortune Cookie, a Pekingese known as “Fortune Cookie,” owned and bred by David Fitzpatrick of East Berlin, PA.

Non-Sporting: GCHP CH Diamond Gold Majesu Pisko Bulls, a Bulldog known as “Thor,” owned by Kara Gordon & Joan Fisher & N Chavez & J Flores of Conroe, TX and bred by Jonathan David Flores Siguas.

Herding: GCHP CH Lk Michigan I’M Your’S, an Australian Shepherd known as “JJ,” owned by Marcie & Rick Boomsliter of Mendon, MI and bred by Jenny Woelzlein, Carol Hawkins, Marcie Boomsliter and Suzanne T Ritter.

Other top dogs awarded during the two-day event included the following:

Best Bred-By-Exhibitor in Show

CH Pequest Fortune Cookie, a Pekingese known as “Fortune Cookie,” owned and bred by David Fitzpatrick of East Berlin, PA.was awarded Best Bred-By-Exhibitor in Show out of 1,096 dogs.

AKC Royal Canin National All-Breed PUPPY/JUNIOR of the Year

Ashwood She’s Like The Wind, an Irish Setter known as “Windy,” owned by Genea White Jones & Laura Heidrich of Fountaintown, IN and bred by Genea W Jones, Timothy Jones, Suzzie Bambule and Laura Heidrich, won Puppy of the Year out of 1,395 dogs.

AKC National Owner-Handled Series Finals Best in Show

GCHB CH Rolyart’s Navigator @ Painted Sky Farms, a Welsh Springer Spaniel known as “Captain,” owned by Sharon Sherwood and bred by Cindy Ford and Shelley Traylor won the AKC National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS) Finals Best in Show, prevailing over an invitation-only entry of 816 dogs.

Best in Miscellaneous Group

Whiskey Hills Angel’s Envy JH, a Bracco Italiano known as “Lepshi,” owned by Siva Aiken & Kristi Libertore of Aiken, SC and bred by Kristi Libertore and Tony Libertore won the Miscellaneous Breeds competition.

Junior Showmanship

In the Junior Showmanship competition, for handlers from between 9 to 18 years of age, Emma Rogers with her Bloodhound Sanctuary’s Big Time Love For Churchil was awarded the coveted title of Best Junior Handler, along with a $5,000 scholarship.

Agility and Obedience Competitions

The 2021 AKC Obedience Classic and the AKC Agility Invitational were held in conjunction with the AKC National Championship. The two events demonstrate the highest level of training and teamwork between dog and handler. The Juniors Classic Obedience/Rally was held for the 10th year, and the Junior Agility competition for the 11th year.

AKC Obedience Classic

Four obedience dogs and their owners – one dog/handler team in each of the four classes – were crowned at the AKC Obedience Classic, which brought together 248 dogs from across the country.

Placing first in their class (Novice, Open, Utility and Masters respectively) were:

• Novice: Cashmere’s Spirit In The Sky CD BN GN RA ACT1 ACT2J CGC TKN, a Golden Retriever known as “Kasper,” owned by Karen Thompson of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
• Open: Blue Skies At Dejavu UD, a Australian Shepherd known as “Willie,” owned by Kathleen Keller/Stephen Keller of Flemington, New Jersey.
• Utility: Meadowhill’s Play With Fire UD PCDX OM1 BN GO VER RE SH JHR, a German Shorthaired Pointer known as “Ember,” owned by Linda Montgomery of Mount Crawford, Virginia
• Masters: OTCH2 Windstar’s Dressed To Kill UDX3 PCDX OM4 BN GO RAE HSAs HSBs HIAs HIBs HXAs DS TKA, a Border Collie known as “Prada,” owned by Jeannie Dennard of High Point, North Carolina.

AKC Agility Invitational

Five agility dogs and their owners – one dog/handler team in each of the five height categories – were crowned as the 2021 winners of the AKC Agility Invitational, which brought together 676 dogs from across the country.

Placing first in their height division (8″, 12″, 16″, 20″ and 24″ respectively) were:

• 8” – AGCH MACH6 Den Schwarzen Wirbel Purely Froggy Feelin CD RN MXG2 PDS MJC2 PJS MFG TQX T2B5, a Miniature Schnauzer known as Kermit, handled by Stacy Bols of Roanoke, TX.
• 12” – MACH3 Devongem A Star Is Born MXS MJG PJD MFS TQX T2B3, a English Cocker Spaniel known as Porsche, handled by Judith Kolva of Tremont, PA.
• 16” – MACH4 Noble D’Artagnan De Bien-Aime MXC MJC MFB TQX CA BCAT ACT2 THDN DN CGCA TKP, a Pyrenean Shepherd known as D’Artagnan, handled by Ela Zalo of Dallas, TX.
• 20” – AGCH MACH10 Justice MXC3 PDC MJB4 PJS2 MFC2 TQX T2B12 CGC, a Border Collie known as Justice, handled by Darrell Bommarito of Lapeer, MI.
• 24” – PACH Monark Run For The Roses Tallee CD BN RA MXPB MJP3 MJPB PAX XFP CGC TKA, a Golden Retriever known as Tallee, handled by Jada Sawhney of Punta Gorda, FL.

AKC Juniors Agility Competition

Juniors who participated in the AKC Juniors Agility Competition competed in either the Junior Excellent or Superior Classes, depending on whether they had achieved an agility title.

Placing first in their height division (8″, 12″, 16″, 20″ and 24″ respectively) in the Junior Excellent class were:

• 8”- CH Sleepy Creeks Cup Of Joe CD BN MX MXJ (Beanz), a Papillon handled by Kendal Fabisiak
• 12”- CH Safranne’s I’M Just Chasing Rainbows AX MXJ (Silver Bullet), a Poodle handled by Danielle Wagner
• 16”- Blessings Chse Life AX AXJ NF (Chase), a Shetland Sheepdog handled by Lydia Hofmann
• 20”- Sagehill’s Taupe This in Pink! AX MXJ XF (Taupe This!), a Border Collie handled by Abby Zerm
• 24”- PACH Monark Run For The Roses Tallee CD BN RA MXPB MJP3 MJPB PAX XFP CGC TKA (Tallee), a Golden Retriever handled by Jada Sawhney

Placing first in their height division (8”, 12”, 16″, 20” and 24″ respectively) in the Junior Superior class were:

• 8”- WHF Little Bitty Hazelnut OA AXJ NF SCN SEN CGC TKI (Hazel), a Miniature American Shepherd handled by Sarah Ford
• 12”- MACH3 PACH Tellstar’s A Little Bit Of Magic RN MXC MJC MXPB MJP3 MJPB PAX NF OFP T2B CGC (Potter), a Shetland Sheepdog handled by Annalise Wilson
• 16”- September Family Blessings NAJ NF (Sep), a Shetland Sheepdog handled by Leanne Hofmann
• 20”- MACH4 Zonkers in a Galaxy Far Far Away CDX BN RE MXB2 PAD MJS2 PJD OAP OJP MFG TQX NFP T2B4 CA BCAT CGC TKN (Vader), a Golden Retriever handled by Kaylin Smith
• 24”- Gridiron Arrowhead Pride (Chief), a Golden Retriever handled by Connor Fuqua

AKC Fast CAT Invitational

The fastest dogs in the country were named Pure Speed and Speed of the Breeds Champion, which brought together 250 dogs from across the country.

Pure Speed Division:

Height Class 2: Cleopatra Queen Of The Fox RN NA NAJ FCAT, an All-American Dog known as “Gidget,” owned by Yvonne and Ken Smith.

Height Class 1.5: Missjiff.Gif NFP CA FCAT4 ACT2 ACT2J FM TKN, an All-American Dog known as “Gif,” owned by Maureen Setter.

Height Class 1: Wildtuck’s Momentary Lapse of Reason BCAT DE, a Whippet known as “Reas,” owned by Lindsay Gluth & Matthew Manetti.

Speed of the Breeds Division: CH Windamirs Ottoman Emperor RN FCAT3 SWN SIA RATN CGCA TKI ATT, a German Pinscher known as “Otto,” owned by Meredith Krause.

AKC Breeder of the Year

David Fitzpatrick was presented with the 2021 AKC Breeder of the Year Award for Pequest Pekingese at the AKC National Championship on Sunday, December 19, 2021. The annual award honors breeders who have made an impact on their breed and dedicated their lives to improving the health, temperament and quality of purebred dogs.

The third annual posthumous Breeder of the Year was awarded to Julia Gasow of Salilyn English Springer Spaniels for her devotion to the breed.

Click here to download images from the AKC National Championship.