Bichon Frise Becomes America’s Top Dog

 

This is What’s Trending today …

America’s top dog is a bichon frise.

Flynn the bichon frise was named Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel¹ Club Dog Show Tuesday night.

The choice surprised just about everyone watching. The Associated Press reported that people who had been loudly shouting for their favorite dogs became silent when a judge announced the winner.

Flynn beat out several other dogs to capture the prize. They included Ty the giant schnauzer, Biggie the pug, Bean the Sussex spaniel, Lucy the borzoi, Slick the border collie and Winston the Norfolk terrier.

The kennel club says the bichon frise is known as good animal for companionship. This breed of dog came from the Mediterranean² area. During Europe’s Renaissance³, painters often included them in their works. The breed was brought to the United States in the 1950s.

Bill McFadden is Flynn’s handler. He said, “It (the prize) feels a little unreal. I came in expecting nothing, except hoping for a good performance, and I think I got it.”

Flynn has been unable to rest after his victory in New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

On Wednesday, the dog appeared on a few television programs and stopped by a famous restaurant. He also has been invited for a walk-on part in the Broadway show “Kinky Boots.”

Flynn and his Westminster-winning team receive no prize money. Instead, he gets a shiny bowl and the team can earn money from breeding fees.

The Westminster Kennel Club started in 1877. The organization gets its name from an old hotel where men gathered “to drink and lie about their shooting accomplishment⁴.” From one of the gatherings⁵, they had an idea to set up a dog show to compare their dogs.

The 142nd Westminster event attracted 2,882 entries in 202 breeds of dogs.

And that’s What’s Trending today.

I’m Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

companionship - n. the good feeling that comes from being with someone else

breed - n. a particular kind of dog, cat, horse ...

handler - n. a person who trains or controls an animal

bowl - n. a round container that is used to serve foods or liquids

breeding fee - n. money gain from a process to produce young animals from their parents

1 kennel   

n.狗舍，狗窝

参考例句：

• Sporting dogs should be kept out of doors in a kennel.猎狗应该养在户外的狗窝中。
• Rescued dogs are housed in a standard kennel block.获救的狗被装在一个标准的犬舍里。

2 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

3 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

4 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

5 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。