Meet the Westminster Dogs: Bonnie the Irish Water Spaniel

With the Westminster Kennel Club 134th Annual Dog Show almost upon us (Feb. 15-16), Paw Nation will be talking with some of the show dogs' owners for some insight into this year's contestants.

Dog Breed: Irish Water Spaniel

Group: Sporting

Dog's Full Registered Name: Ch. Poole's Ide Bonnie Brook

Nickname: Bonnie

Dog's Age: 3

Owners' Names: Sally Lewis and Col. Lois MacDonald, USAFR

Hometown: Pasadena, Calif.

Tell me about Bonnie's personality.
Bonnie has your typical rollicking sporting-dog personality. She is irrepressible and precocious, inquisitive and adventurous and active. Her joie de vivre is infectious. She lights up a room. She is never worried, sad, or depressed. But she is a people pup and doesn't like being left alone.

What is her favorite treat?
She loves Red Barn bully sticks.

What is her best trick?
To protect our dogs from getting food on their long ears, we put scarves called "snoods" over their heads. After they finish eating, Bonnie walks up to her sister and grabs onto her snood and pulls it off for her. Her sister never returns the favor.

Bonnie has the most unusual squeak-bark when she's excited. The pitch is so high, most people have no idea that it's coming from a large dog. And for those who don't know what these dogs look like, I'd say their hairless "rat tail" is pretty quirky. They naturally don't grow hair on their muzzle, chest and tail. They are often mistaken for poodles, but they aren't shaved. What you see is how they come right out of the box (with a little foof and poof for the show ring).