and the most beautiful in the world...is a dog!

as seen here

Filipina title holders the likes of Venus Raj, Janine Tugonon, and Shamcey Supsup may have failed to bag the highly-coveted Miss Universe crown but someone else from the Philippines did it for them.

Enter Philippine-Italian Canton Jet Li, a locally-bred Pomeranian who bested more than 200 other Pomeranians from all over the world and bagged the “Mr. Universe” crown for dogs. And proved once more that the Philippines is not just home to beauty queens but also to the most beautiful canines. Jet Li’s cunning abilities, stance, styles, talents, and tricks have again brought pride to our country in international contests. This also demonstrates the skills of the breeder in producing today’s dog champions.

The recently concluded global dog show competition, American Pomeranian Club (APC) Nationals held in Kentucky, USA last March 10-13, bestowed the championship award to the three-year-old Philippine-bred Pomeranian in the Best of Breed (Best in Specialty Show) category. The dog champion, Philippine Italian Canton Jet Li, bested more than 200 Pomeranians, 50 of which were earlier American Champions.

Hundreds of owners and breeders from all over the world displayed and paraded their charming and pudgy Pomeranians in front of the international judges and Jet Li captured their hearts because he has the closest characteristics in keeping with the global criterion.

The criteria of choice are how closely the specimen comply with the breed standard, which is the breed type (breed bible), sound body and mind (how the dog moves and its temperament) and showmanship (yabang).
The recognition is conferred to the sole dog which, at the end of the all-breed dog show, has successfully defeated the other dogs of all kinds of breeds. The Best of Breed contest evaluates dogs and bitches on how well they conform to their breed type in harmony with the APC standard.

According to the 1997 APC benchmark, the “major faults” of Pomeranians are “round head, domed skull, under-shot and overshot mouth, lack of soundness in hind legs or stifles, and soft or flat coat.” Obviously, Canton Jet Li is nothing but these.

Our very own Champion had experienced setbacks before the competition began. He had just arrived the night before the contest and had no American title to back him up. Before bagging the championship and eventually winning against the 200 Pomeranians, Jet Li had undergone the Open Dog Class competition (a contest for red, orange, sable, and cream Pomeranian breeds). After winning under this title, he had to vie against the Winners Dog before he can become eligible to fight for the ultimate Best of Breed competition. Eventually, he won.

Prior to Jet Li’s winning, the last Pomeranian to win the Breed from the classes was an Open Bitch Cenla Annie Laurie O’ Friday in 1991.  At that time, competition was so much less in numbers.  Accordingly, a win like this at the Nationals from the classes, only happening again after 22 years is indeed historical.  It brings great pride to the Philippines since the winner was a Philippine dog.

Special recognition also goes to the former old time Pomeranian breeder and international judge Jackie Stacy who had the courage to follow her convictions regardless of the psychological pressures to put up the more popular dogs.  Indeed, a non-political win.

This accomplishment serves as an inspiration to other Filipinos that we can!  No matter what we do, whether it is big or small, the pursuit to excellence eventually has its own rewards and recognitions.

Did You Know That...
The most publicized and largest dog show competition is the Westminister New York followed by the Crufts in United Kingdom. However, for breed specialist the most prestigious is the US' Breed Nationals, which is equivalent of the Miss Universe contest.
Pomeranians or Pom Poms are cocky extroverted small dogs that have heavy lion mane-like furs. The fur should be harsh and profuse as they get older. The highly commercialized attractive soft cotton candy may be attractive but discouraged as it is a major fault in dog competitions. Look for harsh textured coats instead because they will get better when Pom Poms grow.
For future Pomeranian owners, stay away from cotton candy-like fur because it is prone to baldness. Look at the puppies' sire (male parents) to see if it still have its coat. Many breeders who use black-skinned dogs as studs will always find an excuse not to show the sire of their puppies.
Pom Poms weigh four to seven pounds and have 12-15 years of life expectancy. They have fox-like expressions and are very competitive because of their natural showmanship. They also come in all colors, patterns, and variations although red and orange are the popular colors.