Meet EJ the Great Pyrenees from SLO County. He’s headed to the Westminster Dog Show
San Luis Obispo County’s fluffiest four-legged champion will go up against the best of the best next week in the nation’s most prestigious dog show.
On June 22, viewers will be able to see EJ, a Great Pyrenees shepherd from Arroyo Grande, compete in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
EJ is set to participate in the breed competition for Great Pyrenees dogs. He will be judged, as is the custom in dog shows, by how well he conforms to the breed’s standards.
According to owner and handler Terrie Strom, EJ has been participating in dog shows since he was 6 months old. EJ is now 2 years old, and Strom says that her dog particularly enjoys competing when there’s a large audience watching him.
“He does his best when people are clapping. He thinks it’s for him. He really likes an audience.”
In his year and a half competing, EJ has won first place in the working group competition twice, the latest being in Ventura in May 2022. He has also been awarded multiple group placements and has won Best in Show at the National Owner-Handled Series and at a Great Pyrenees specialty show.
Unlike other champion dogs, who are subject to a lottery entry, EJ qualified for the Westminster Dog Show through a special invitation, as he is currently ranked one of the top five Great Pyrenees dogs in the country, based on his performance in other competitions.
Because they received a special invitation to the event, Strom and EJ will soon head out on a cross-country road trip to Tarrytown, New York, where the competition will be held. Some of their friends are flying to New York to see them compete.
“It’s a pretty big deal,” Strom said of the Westminster Dog Show. “I’m just going with expectations of having fun, and yes I’m really nervous.”
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The Westminster Kennel Club show features purebred dogs of more than 211 breeds competing for the title of Best of Breed, then Best of Group, and finally, if they win the previous two rounds, for Best Overall. This year, 3,000 dogs are competing.
The dog show has taken place every year since 1877, making it the second-longest continuously held sporting event in the country, according to Westminster Kennel Club’s website. Previous competitors have included dogs bred by historic figures such as J.P. Morgan and Queen Victoria of England.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 event was pushed from January to June and will now take place from June 18-22 in the Lyndhurst mansion in Tarrytown, instead of in Madison Square Garden, where it had been traditionally held.
Viewers interested in seeing EJ compete will be able to watch him live on the Westminster Kennel Club’s website on Wednesday, June 22, at 2:15 p.m. EST, where EJ will participate in Ring 6’s Breed competition for Great Pyrenees dogs.
If EJ wins Best of Breed, he’ll be featured in live television at 7 p.m. EST on the same day, competing in the Working Group. Coverage will be broadcasted on Sportsnet One and FS1 LIVE.
This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
