2021 AKC National Championship Judging Panel Now Available

NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Kennel Club^® (AKC^® ) is pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2021 AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 18 and Sunday, December 19, 2021.

The 2021 event will showcase the top canine athletes and will also include popular attractions such as the Best Bred-by-Exhibitor competition, the AKC National Owner-Handled Series Finals, and the AKC Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy and Junior Stakes. The show will once again take place alongside the AKC Agility Invitational and the Obedience Classic, with junior events in Conformation, Agility, Obedience and Rally.

Leading the charge as Best in Show judge for the 2021 National Championship is Mr. Dana P. Cline of Albany, GA and Mr. Elliott B. Weiss of Novelty, OH will judge Best Bred-by-Exhibitor in Show. The judges for the National Owner-Handled Series Finals and the AKC Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy and Junior Stakes will be announced at a later date.

"The AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin continues to be a world-class event, and with Dana and Elliott heading the panel, this year will be no different," said Show Chairman Dennis B. Sprung. "The 2021 event promises to be an exciting competition for breeders, exhibitors and judges."

Judges for the seven variety groups and the Miscellaneous Classes at the AKC National Championship are:

SPORTING – Elizabeth "Beth" Sweigart – Bowmansville, PA
HOUND – Mr. Luc Boileau – Lake Geneva, WI
WORKING – Mr. Norman B. Kenney – Crossroads, TX
TERRIER – Mr. Edd E. Bivin – Ft. Worth, TX
TOY – Mr. James A. Moses – Roswell, GA
NON-SPORTING – Mrs. Susan St. John Brown – Divide, CO
HERDING – Mr. Charles L. Olvis – Lake Wales, FL
MISCELLANEOUS CLASSES – Pamela S. Lambie – Phoenix, AZ

BEST JUNIOR HANDLER – Mrs. Debbie L. Melgreen – Yates City, IL

JUNIOR PRELIMS – Miss Kimberly A. Langlands and Jeffrey M. Hanlin, Jr.

Judges for the seven Bred-by-Exhibitor variety groups are:
SPORTING – Mrs. Debbie L. Melgreen – Yates City, IL
HOUND – Pamela S. Lambie – Phoenix, AZ
WORKING – Mr. Terry Stacy – Chapel Hill, NC
TERRIER – Mr. Lawrence Cornelius – Palm Springs, CA
TOY – Dr. Gareth Morgan-Jones – Auburn, AL
NON-SPORTING – Mr. Timothy Catterson – New Castle, IN
HERDING – Mrs. Cathy H. Daugherty – Hot Springs, AR

BREED JUDGING FOR THE AKC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP:

*Panel subject to final approval.

About Best in Show judge Mr. Dana P. Cline:
Dana P. Cline, of Albany, GA, received his first Great Dane from his parents in the late 1960's, and from that moment he knew that he would have a lifetime of involvement with this breed and with dogs.

As a young child he exhibited in 4H, training in both obedience and conformation. He found the dog show world in his teenage years, spending nearly every weekend traveling to shows and helping professional handlers. While his main interest was always in Great Danes, he worked hard to learn about other breeds and to become more active in all breeds. All of his weekends spent at dogs shows eventually led him to a career as a professional handler, where he specialized in Danes and sight hounds, but also handling various other breeds along the way.

Breeding has always been a favorite aspect of this sport for Mr. Cline and he currently breeds and exhibits Tibetan Mastiffs and Italian Greyhounds. He has bred nearly 100 champions in a variety of breeds, primarily Great Danes, but also Borzoi, German Wirehaired Pointers, Miniature Bull Terriers, Beagles, Italian Greyhounds, and Tibetan Mastiffs and is also a Breeder of Merit. He was a long-time member of the Great Dane Club of America and is currently a member of The American Tibetan Mastiff Association.

Mr Cline is an All-Breed Judge. He has judged in a number of foreign countries, multiple National Specialties, as well as many of the country's top shows. He was also the Recipient of the 2017 AKC Judge of the Year.

About Best Bred-By-Exhibitor judge Mr. Elliott B. Weiss:
Elliott B. Weiss, of Novelty, Ohio, was born in New York City and grew up in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. The very first show he attended was the 1956 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. It was love at first sight.

He began exhibiting dogs in 1963, and from 1965 through 1968 he was an apprentice handler to the late Ted Young Jr. Mr. Weiss became a licensed professional handler in 1969. In a 1985 Kennel Review poll, the fancy voted Mr. Weiss among the top 10 handlers of the time. He has owned and bred Cocker Spaniels, Clumber Spaniels, Giant Schnauzers, Pointers, and English Setters. He was a charter member and founding president of the Monticello New York Kennel Club.

Mr. Weiss retired from handling in 1993 and began his judging career the following year. He is approved to judge Best in Show; Sporting, Hound, Terrier, Toy and Non-Sporting groups; and several additional breeds from the Working and Herding groups. He judged Best in Show in 2018 and the Terrier group in 2020 at the AKC National Championship. Mr. Weiss owns, exhibits, and occasionally breeds English Setters under the Wyndswept banner.

About the American Kennel Club
Founded in 1884, the American Kennel Club is a not-for-profit organization which maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world and oversees the sport of purebred dogs in the United States. The AKC is dedicated to upholding the integrity of its registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for type and function.  Along with its more than 5,000 licensed and member clubs and its affiliated organizations, the AKC advocates for the purebred dog as a family companion, advances canine health hasand well-being, works to protect the rights of all dog owners and promotes responsible dog ownership. More than 22,000 competitions for AKC-registered purebred dogs are held under AKC rules and regulations each year including conformation, agility, obedience, rally, tracking, herding, lure coursing, coonhound events, hunt tests, field and earthdog tests. Affiliate AKC organizations include the AKC Humane Fund, AKC Canine Health Foundation, AKC Reunite and the AKC Museum of the Dog.  For more information, visit www.akc.org.

AKC, American Kennel Club, the American Kennel Club seal and design, and all associated marks and logos are trademarks, registered trademarks and service marks of The American Kennel Club, Inc.

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About Royal Canin USA
Royal Canin USA is a leader in science-based cat and dog health nutrition. Founded by a veterinarian in 1968, Royal Canin has 50 years of experience in delivering individualized nutritional solutions. In collaboration with an expert team of nutritionists, breeders and veterinarians from around the world, Royal Canin places cats and dogs at the central point of the innovation process. The Royal Canin product line offers a range of diets based on size, age, breed, lifestyle and therapeutic requirements. Royal Canin diets are available at veterinary hospitals and pet specialty stores nationwide. Royal Canin is a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated. To learn more about Royal Canin, visit www.royalcanin.com and "LIKE" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/royalcanin.us.

SOURCE American Kennel Club

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