Novi had perfect Vibe for dog show following Westminster

NOVI — The Motor City Winter Dog Classic, which was held at the Vibe Credit Union Showplace in Novi Feb. 5-8, was one of a handful of dog shows across the U.S. that took place on the heels of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. 

The Motor City Winter Dog Classic was presented by the Detroit Kennel Club and the Oakland County Kennel Club. It featured competitions for more than 200 American Kennel Club certified breeds over the four days. 

“It’s hard to compare any shows to Westminster, because Westminster is just — it’s just different. But these shows, they get pretty competitive because they get a good amount of entries, over a thousand dogs, 1,200-1,300 dogs,” said Kellie Fitzgerald, president of the Detroit Kennel Club.. 

She described Westminster as the Kentucky Derby of dog shows but said that the location of the Motor City Winter Dog Classic is a key selling point for the show.

“This venue is fantastic, with an attached hotel,” she said.”Everybody loves this location. It’s a very easy venue to work in, because of just the access. I have so many people tell us how much they love to come here because of the location; it’s right off of the expressways. It’s not out in the middle of nowhere. There’s lots of restaurants around, different hotels.”

The Motor City show and its easily accessible location were indeed a welcome change following the stress of Westminster and the hectic New York atmosphere, according to handler Evan Threlfall, who has been showing dogs since he was a kid. 

“You’re pretty exhausted after Westminster. It’s a lot of buildup to get to Westminster and there’s a lot of stress to get in and out of the city and stuff like that, so when you leave Westminster, you are kind of like, ‘OK, I need somewhere to go to have a nice, easier week,’ and this has been a great place with the hotel being attached to here and the way the clusters have run, this has been really smooth,” Threlfall said.  

He said that it is a long drive to get to Novi from New York, especially while caring for dogs, but the Motor City show does a great job making it an easy experience. He said the fact that it is held at a convention center where the dogs can stay on-site, and they can stay in the hotel, makes it easy for them to care for their dogs and set up and take down their stuff. 

“It’s well-lit, there’s a lot of area you can exercise the dogs in, and the clubs have just put on an easy-flowing show. Everything is running smoothly, and they are longtime dog people who understand how that works,” he said. 

Threlfall and his wife, Stacy, won best of breed at Westminster with River, a 6-year-old Gordon Setter. They then came to the Motor City show, where Stacy and River, whom she is the co-owner and handler of, took Best of Show on all four days.  

“You know, when you put in all the hard work and time with the dogs to, like, train them and make sure they’re, like, happy all the time, to make sure they are willing to work with you and do all of that sort of stuff, it’s really rewarding when somebody who is an eligible dog person notices all of that and rewards it,” Threlfall said.

When asked, Stacy Threlfall said she didn’t know to what she would attribute her Best in Show sweep at Motor City. 

“I don’t know. Half luck, half God,” she said. “I got some goals.”

“He’s really special,” added her friend and fellow handler Ania Kelly, who won Reserve Best in Show on Sunday with Faith, a 4-year-old Sealyham Terrier. 

According to Evan Threlfall, “most everybody” who showed their dogs at Westminster then came to the Motor City show. He explained that as professional handlers, they make their living by showing dogs for other people at least 40 weekends a year. 

Kelly, a third-generation handler, also competed at both Westminster and Motor City. She explained that the Motor City show was the natural one to come to following Westminster, because it was the closest to New York and one of the few shows going on at that time. According to Kelly, the other shows were in Texas and Arizona. 

“It’s always a nice show and the hotel’s attached,” she said of the Motor City show. “It’s very well run by very good people. It’s all dog people like Kellie (Fitzgerald) and Phil (Booth); they were all professional handlers, and they all had top dogs when they showed dogs, so that’s helpful.”

Stacy Threlfall agreed. 

“It’s a very nice venue, and I like that the hotel is attached, and I like that it’s run by dog people who understand what everybody needs and how to run a successful dog show,” she said.

Stacy Threlfall said the experience at Motor City is “much more relaxing” than Westminster, citing the New York traffic and that workers at places like Madison Square Garden don’t always understand what they are trying to do as dog handlers.