Scott County man and his canine companion have made it to ‘the pinnacle of dog shows’
Zac Crump says he never envisioned himself in a show ring, but this week, he’ll be at one of the most prestigious dog shows in the world with his Portugese water dog Churchill, who is also his pet.
Churchill will be competing in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York, and Crump, of Georgetown, will be handling him. It’s their first time at Westminster.
“It is the pinnacle of dog shows,” Crump said in an interview last week. “It’s a bucket list item.”
The Westminster Kennel Club says Churchill, whose official name is GCHS CH Shooting Star & Seaworthy’s Finest Hour, is one of 36 Kentucky canines competing in this year’s show. Among them are a miniature American shepherd from Lexington, a Kerry blue terrier from Versailles, a Nederlandse kooikerhondje from Winchester and a Portuguese podengo pequeno from Georgetown.
Churchill is one of 15 Portugese water dogs entered in the show, Crump said. He’s scheduled to be shown at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday. The show is being livestreamed on the Westminster Kennel Club’s website and on FoxSports.com.
“You’re trying to secure the Best of Breed ring,” Crump said.
He said he’s been showing Churchill, who will turn 3 next month, since he was a puppy.
“He just lights up in the ring,” Crump said.
Last year, he was ranked among the top 10 Portugese water dogs in the country.
In addition to Churchill, Crump owns a second Portugese water dog, Brooklyn, who is 4 years old.
“I never actually wanted to show a dog. ...It’s like a passion of mine now,” said Crump, who by day works remotely as director of resource management for a consulting and training firm.
Crump said many show dogs are handled in the ring by professionals, but he began handling Churchill after taking handling classes in Lexington and Versailles.
“I’m not a professional. We’re in there with professionals,” Crump said.
He said he’s learned a lot from professional handlers.
“It is an art,” he said. “It’s not just running around in circles. Everything from the human runs down the lead. Your dog can understand when you’re stressed.”
Crump said he became interested in Portugese water dogs because he liked the idea of working with them in water, which is “what they were trained to do,” he said.
“They were typically on boats with fishermen,” he said.
The Portugese Water Dog Club of America says the dogs were trained to retrieve nets and other items from the water, to herd fish into nets and to work as couriers between boats or from the boat to shore.
They also guarded the boats, Crump said, a trait still evident: “They’re very protective of their people.”
“Once they know who you are, they’re fine,” he said. “They’re very much people dogs. You never go anywhere alone. ...They want to be around you all the time.”
Besides competing in the show ring, Crump’s dogs also compete in obedience and rally events, as well as water trials, where they practice the skills they were bred to do.
“They don’t care what they’re doing. They just want to be with you doing it,” he said.
Crump is active in the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America, the United Sunshine States Portuguese Water Dog Club and the Lexington Kennel Club.
But at the end of the day, he said Churchill and Brooklyn are his pets.
“They go home with me. They sleep in my bed,” he said, quoting Patricia Trotter, a handler, breeder and judge who once said that “every pet may not be a show dog, but be assured every show dog is a pet.”
Crump’s advice to people who are interested in owning a purebred dog is to start with the club dedicated to that breed and “take the time to reach out to multiple breeders.”
Sometimes, he said, a family will think they want a certain breed, but when they learn more about it, they might find out a different breed is better for their family situation.
“Go to shows,” he said, noting that a good place to get an up-close look at lots of breeds in Central Kentucky is the Bluegrass Classic Dog Show, scheduled this year from Aug. 28 to Sept. 1 at the Kentucky Horse Park.
This story was originally published February 10, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
