Sharon dog wins prestigious award at 2011 Westminster Kennel Club show

SHARON — At not quite two years of age, one local canine already has under her belt a transatlantic journey and a big win at the most prestigious dog show in the world.Ilsa, a Bernese Mountain Dog, was imported from Belgium by owner Tiggie Gerli as a 10-week-old puppy in the summer of 2009. For Gerli, who has owned this large, handsome breed for 18 years and been very involved in breeding and showing them, finding Ilsa was the culmination of a long international search for a special female to breed to one of her top males.Gerli and her husband, Jay, are also prominent breeders of Belted Galloway cattle at their farm in Sharon.Ilsa began her show career at age 6 months and was a star right away. “She became a champion before she was a year old,” said Gerli in a recent interview. It can sometimes take years for a dog to meet the requirements. With further show wins, Ilsa quickly earned the even more demanding grand championship as well. Soon she received special invitations to the two premier shows in the country — the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, in Long Beach, Calif., and the famous Westminster Kennel Club show, held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.For Gerli, having the dog make the trip to California was out of the question. But going to Westminster was a certainty. “It’s like the Kentucky Derby of dog shows,” she explained. “This event is the pinnacle of the sport.”Bringing dogs into the heart of Manhattan to be shown at the Garden is an exciting but daunting experience. As this is a “benched” show, where the dogs must be on view to spectators for extended hours beyond their actual time in the ring, participation can be demanding and exhausting for both the dog and its owner and handler.Ilsa was shown by Sara Gregware, a professional dog-show handler based at the Canine Sports Center in Goshen, where Gerli trains her dogs.Twenty-month-old Ilsa took it all in stride, however, winning the prize for Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed—a top honor, especially for a young dog. “It was a huge win for her,” said Gerli.Future plans for Ilsa include showing at other major events, followed by motherhood. “She’s going to show this year, and she will be bred next year and become a mom,” said Gerli. “If the timing works out, she’ll show again at Westminster next year.”The Gerlis discovered the Bernese mountain dog breed, which originated in Switzerland as an all-purpose farm dog, when their two sons picked it out from a dog book during a summer vacation years ago. The family’s beloved golden retriever had recently passed away, and the parents asked the boys to see if there was another type of dog they would like to have. The Bernese proved to be a perfect fit.“They’re very family-oriented dogs,” Gerli said. “They’re very good with kids. They’re just wonderful dogs. They get very attached to their people, and their people get very attached to them.”