{"id":803891,"date":"2020-02-06T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-06T17:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=378489"},"modified":"2020-02-06T10:30:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-06T17:30:00","slug":"breckenridge-resident-to-represent-summit-county-at-westminster-dog-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/breckenridge-resident-to-represent-summit-county-at-westminster-dog-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Breckenridge resident to represent Summit County at Westminster dog show"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Melissa Olson and her Bernese mountain dog Nora. <\/strong>
Courtesy Melissa Olson<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

BRECKENRIDGE \u2014 Area dog lovers will have a little extra incentive to tune into the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show next week, when residents will have a fellow local representing Summit County in the competition.<\/p>\n

The show has been operating for more than 140 years in New York City since its inception in 1877 and is largely considered one of the nation\u2019s biggest and most prestigious shows, with more than 3,000 dogs competing.<\/p>\n

This year, county canine enthusiasts will have a dog in the fight, so to speak, thanks to Breckenridge resident Melissa Olson and her dog Nora.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really trying not to make it anything more than just another dog show,\u201d Olson said about her and Nora\u2019s invitation to participate. \u201cBut it is a really big show. I\u2019m just so excited for the opportunity to get to take her. It\u2019s a big deal, especially to get to handle her myself. It\u2019s just such an honor to be able to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nora, a 6 1\/2-year-old Bernese mountain dog, is Olson\u2019s first show dog. She got Nora as a puppy from Christine Mann, a professional breeder from Boulder who later suggested that Olson begin showing her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought this was so weird at first,\u201d Olson said. \u201cIt was one of those things where I never planned on doing this. I just wanted to get a well-bred dog from a responsible breeder that would live long and live well. \u2026 I ended up getting a second dog from her, and as I was picking up the puppy, she saw Nora and said, \u2018Oh my gosh, we should probably be showing her.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know what that meant really, but she told me that Nora closely followed their breeding standards. She\u2019s got a wonderful temperament, she\u2019s put together really well \u2014 things they look for in breeding. \u2026 The breeder was going to show her, but we found out quickly that Nora didn\u2019t want anybody to show her except me.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Olson, owner-handled dogs are in the minority at shows, with most owners opting for a professional to step in and assist. But Olson and Nora have proved quite the team over the past few years. Since Nora first stepped into the spotlight in 2016, she\u2019s won multiple Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America Versatility Dog Awards and achieved her silver Grand Champion title from the American Kennel Club \u2014 a designation given to dogs that have accumulated enough points through placing at shows.<\/p>\n

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Melissa Olson, right, and her dog Nora during a competition last year. <\/strong>
Courtesy Melissa Olson<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The Westminster show certainly represents a step up in the level of competition. Every dog competing, including all 30 Bernese mountain dogs, holds the champion title already. Olson said the dogs are first judged against their respective breeds \u2014 a process based on \u201cbreed standards\u201d including general appearance, size, proportions, temperament and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people aren\u2019t really sure what dog shows are for,\u201d Olson said. \u201cIt really doesn\u2019t have a lot to do with training. They\u2019re looking at the whole package and comparing it to breed standards. Sometimes the dog that\u2019s not behaving will be the best dog, and a good judge will see that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Olson continued to say that there is a lot of skill and training that goes into it, particularly in getting a dog comfortable being touched by strangers, showing their teeth, sitting still or gating at the appropriate speed.<\/p>\n

Only one dog in each breed is selected as Best of Breed and continues in the competition, moving on to compete in group competitions. Each breed falls into one of seven groups: sporting, hound, terrier, toy, nonsporting, herding and working \u2014 like Nora. The seven winners from the group stage then get their chance to compete for Best in Show.<\/p>\n

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Melissa Olson and her Bernese mountain dog Nora are set to compete in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York next week. <\/strong>
Courtesy Melissa Olson<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Despite the stiff competition, Olson is optimistic Nora will be able to stand out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have as good a chance as anybody,\u201d Olson said. \u201cThere\u2019s some really nice dogs that are coming, and a lot of them have professional handlers. But if Nora is feeling good and not too worn out (Olson and Nora start a three-day road trip to New York on Thursday), she\u2019s got a good chance of being recognized. \u2026 But really we\u2019re going to have fun. It\u2019s not often you get a dog worthy of showing in a big show like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Win or lose, Olson said Nora will return a happy camper to her life in Summit County.<\/p>\n

\u201cNora is my pet, and she\u2019s a beloved family member before anything else,\u201d Olson said. \u201cShe\u2019s just a normal Colorado dog that loves the snow, hiking, treats and laying on the couch.\u201d<\/p>\n

via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Melissa Olson and her Bernese mountain dog Nora. Courtesy Melissa Olson BRECKENRIDGE \u2014 Area dog lovers will have a little extra incentive to tune into the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show next week, when residents will have a fellow local representing Summit County in the competition. The show has been operating for more than 140 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-803891","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-23 13:15:44","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=803891"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803891\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=803891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=803891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=803891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}