Kingston-based dog trainer reflects on making Westminster

It’s been an exciting year already for Elisa Holland of Kingston, Ont., and her beloved 18-month-old Whippet Daisy.

After working hard at smaller competitions, they earned a berth into what Holland called the Super Bowl of dog shows, held in the New York.

“I opened (the notice) and it says ‘congratulations’ and I had to sit down,” said Holland of the moment she learned she had been accepted into the 2023 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

While there are agility competitions available, Daisy was there to be judged on breed standards. This involves many factors, and Holland said judges are basically looking for what dog is closest to the agreed-upon standards for that breed.

“They’re built for speed, so they should have nice smooth curves, big deep chests,” she said.

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Holland said Daisy was bred to be among the top, and it’s no secret when you meet the rest of the family.

Daisy’s mother, Oksana, is in “semi-retirement,” and has her own impressive collection of awards, magazine covers and trophies.

Oksana’s sister, Tabitha, is much the same, making for a highly talented and highly accomplished house of pups.

Holland said the Westminster dog show was unlike anything she had been to in her 18 years of dog training and competitions.

“It’s a much bigger dog show than anything I’ve ever been in; the average in Canada, shows are about 400 dogs, this is 3,000,” she added.

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While Daisy didn’t manage to place at Westminster, Holland said she’s incredibly proud of how far she has come in just 18 months, and is excited for the future with her fur-clad pal.

“I’m looking to the future, I mean, every year there’s Westminster but you can set goals for specialties, getting invites, we also want to get her performance titles,” she said.