NEW YORK (AP) — Less than three years ago, Mary Ann and David Giordano were taking turns lying on the living room floor with their Afghan hound Frankie, hand-feeding the desperately ill dog anything she would eat.
She had developed severe kidney problems after contracting Lyme disease, despite being on medication meant to repel ticks that carry the bacteria that cause it. Veterinarians weren’t sure she would survive.
Yet on Monday, Frankie was at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, healthy and ready to compete. She would face off against over a dozen other Afghan hounds — including Zaida, the winner of last month’s World Dog Show in Croatia — for a chance to advance to the next round of the United States’ most prestigious canine event.
“It was really tough,” Mary Ann Giordano said, her voice halting as she described Frankie’s eight-month ordeal. “But she made it.”
For all the pooch pageantry of Westminster — the coiffed poodles, the top-knotted toy dogs, the formality of dogs trotting around a ring — it’s also an illustration of the bond people form with dogs, and what each will do for the other.
Monday marked the start of the traditional judging that leads to the best in show prize, to be awarded Tuesday night at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Selection of seven finalists began Monday night; each represents a group of breeds, such as hounds or herding dogs.
One is Louis, an Afghan hound that bested Zaida, Frankie, her littermate Belle and others to win the breed.
“This breed’s supposed to be ‘the king of dogs,’ and he knows he is,” handler and co-owner Alicia Jones said.
Other finalists include Sage, a miniature poodle who gave “100%” in the ring, as handler Kaz Hosaka put it; Mercedes, a big-winning German shepherd whose handler, Kent Boyles, led another German shepherd to a best in show trophy in 2017; and Comet, a shih tzu who took the top prize at last year’s huge, televised American Kennel Club National Championship.
“He’s just everything you would want in a shih tzu,” co-owner, breeder and handler Luke Ehricht said after Comet won his breed Monday morning. With a flowing coat like a vanilla-and-caramel ice cream sundae that’s melting onto the table, the dog looked up a