Edwardsville Resident To Judge At 144th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

New York, NY – Edwardsville, Illinois resident, Gretchen Bernardi, is among the judges at the 144^th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City. This is her first judging assignment at Westminster. She will officiate over several breeds during the daytime competition held at Pier 94 in New York City on February 9-11, 2020.

Bernardi will be judging the Borzois, Greyhounds, Ibizan Hounds, Irish Wolfhounds, Salukis, and Scottish Deerhoundson Sunday. All Best of Breed winners she selects will go on to compete in the Hound Group on Monday evening held at Madison Square Garden.

Bernardi has been part of the purebred dog community since 1969 when she got her first Irish Wolfhound. Her Berwyck hounds have won the national specialty, several regional specialties, and high honors at the all-breed level, mostly owner-handled. Bernardi is proud that a number of dogs gaining prestigious wins at specialties also carry Berwyck dogs close up in their pedigrees. In the early 1970’s she helped establish the St. Louis Sighthound Association when group clubs were rare.

Bernardi is approved to judge a dozen Hound breeds. She has judged the Irish Wolfhound National Specialty twice. She has judged several specialties in the United States and abroad. In 2011, she was named the AKC Hound Breeder of the Year. For the past 32 years, she has been an AKC delegate, chairing the nominating and bylaws committees.

All daytime preliminary breed and junior showmanship judging, and the Masters Obedience Championship at Westminster competitions will be held at Pier 94 on the West Side of Manhattan. The Group, Best in Show and Junior Showmanship Finals judging will be held at Madison Square Garden in the evening. The dog show is preceded on Saturday, Feb. 8, by the 7^th Annual Masters Agility Championship at Westminster on Pier 94.

All Westminster Week events are presented by Purina Pro Plan®.

For the full Westminster Week schedule and ticket information, visit www.westminsterkennelclub.org

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