[SPORTS ★★]
HIGH SCHOOL GIRL RAISES CHAMPION SHOW DOG
(P1) When she was little, Amy Judge went to a dog show in Monroe and fell in love with a rare BREED called a Dandie Dinmont TERRIER. Now she’s the owner of a Westminster Kennel Club CHAMPION.
(P2) Judge, a senior at Ferndale High School in Custer, Washington, returned from New York City last week where her dog, Wesley, won best in breed at the PRESTIGIOUS dog show.
(P3) “Since it’s in New York, it’s hard to get your dog around, it’s really CROWDED everywhere you go, and there are a lot of people,” Judge said. “But it’s the most prestigious show in the country and you always want your dog looking good.”
(P4) Judge, who is 18, is the first person in her age group to win best of breed for the Dandie Dinmont.
(P5) Wesley is the second Dandie Dinmont she’s owned. She got her first one several years ago after that first trip to the dog show, but he died of cancer at age 5. The breeders, Miriam and David Couto, gave her Wesley.
(P6) Judge is a dog-show VETERAN, winning Junior HANDLER of the Year from the Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club of America in 2010, when she was 12.
(P7) Judge said she COMPETED at 51 dog shows last year, including Westminster, but will CUT BACK after high school. She’s planning to study medicine but hasn’t decided on a college yet.
(P8) “No one else in my school does this,” she said of showing Wesley. “I like seeing my dog do what he likes to do, and it makes him very happy to compete.”
(P9) What is a Dandie Dinmont?
(P10) The Dandie Dinmont terrier is the only breed of dog named for a fictional character.
(P11) In 1814, Sir Walter Scott published a wildly successful novel, “Guy Mannering”. In the book, a local farmer named Dandie Dinmont owns six terriers of a type long associated with the BORDER REGION where England and Scotland meet. The breed has since become known as Dandie Dinmont.
(P12) According to the Westminster Kennel Club, “The Dandie Dinmont combines an AFFECTIONATE and DIGNIFIED nature with TENACITY and BOLDNESS.”
WORDS: 352
SOURCE: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article61813407.html
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Do you prefer a small dog like the Dandie Dinmont, or a bigger dog?
- How do the judges in a dog show choose a champion?
- Did you have any interesting HOBBIES when you were in high school? Do you have any today?
- Sir Walter Scott was a HISTORICAL NOVELIST. Do you like books about history?
EXPRESSIONS TO PRACTICE:
What do the following expressions mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
- Cut back
- Border region
- Historical novel
