We ourselves had a slightly paler version of Stump’s saga. Our Miss Lacey, after a distinguished specials career, was felled by a near-fatal case of pyometria in September, 2005. She was only just saved by our own perceptiveness (she didn’t want her dinner that evening) and skilled surgery at County Animal Hospital in Mason, Ohio.

As she had to be spayed, Lacey could no longer be shown; only intact dogs are eligible for AKC shows. There is one exception: a spayed or neutered dog can be shown in the Veterans classes at an independent specialty. We entered Lacey in Veterans at the 2006 Borzoi Club of America National Specialty for one last show. She was first in the 7-10 year old Veteran Bitch class, then went on to Best in Specialty Show under sighthound judge Espen Engh, her 269th and sweetest Best of Breed win.