Pug Pedigrees

Woodchuck was one of those dogs that everyone had an opinion about. We would hear, "He's so big!" at ringside. But he could move and move he did, and with prestigious handler Bobby Barlow on the other end of the lead, they were the top ranked pair for all breeds of dogs in 1981. Chucky captured the first (and only, to date) Best In Show at Westminister Kennel Club (over an entry of 2,909) in New York City while compiling an overall, lifetime record of 229 Best of Breeds in 259 all breed shows; 144 Group I, 30 Group II, 20 Group III, and 9 Group IV. He had a lifetime 56 Best in Show (All Breeds) and of the six Pug Specialty shows he entered, he won Best In Specialty Show at all six of them.

Of the win at Westminster, Chucky's owner, Robert Hauslohner, would write, "Seen via cable television all over the country, Chucky won the hearts of the audience and the judges as he progressed to the final climax of Best in Show under Judge Langdon L. Skarda. The dramatic moment when it was announced, "It is the pug!" saw Bobby Barlow and Woodchuck sailing joyfully over to claim the coveted award. Hugs, cheers and tears were present in Madison Square Garden and in many pug households across the country." The night his pug won the competition, an estatic Mr. Hauslohner held the gleaming Tiffany trophy and proclaimed the win "the biggest thing that's happened in my 40 years in dogs." A few months later, Mr. Hauslohner told a reporter, "Woodchuck's record is extraordinary. . . . Who'd ever have thought I'd win Westminster!"

Woodchuck lived most of his short brilliant life on the road, being born there, and also dying there. It was during a mad frantic drive to the veterinarian's office that he came into the world on February 21, 1977, in the back seat of Barbara Braley's station wagon. After arriving at the vet's office, his brother and litter mate Ch. Dhandy's Favorite Chipmunk was also born. Both dogs finished their championships quickly in Florida, Chucky finishing in four shows at the age of 10 1/2 months, including a Best of Winners at 10 months of age at the Tampa Bay Specialty show. After that Woodchuck quickly amassed eight Group wins - four times handled in the ring by Barbara and four times with Anitra Hutchison. In 1979 Chucky was purchased by Philadelphia attorney, Robert Hauslohner, to begin his serious show career, campaigning throughout the United States.

There's been some confusion about the number in the litter Chucky was born in, and it was just the two dogs, Woodchuck and Chipmunk. An article written in "Pug Talk" magazine talks about Chucky's "litter brother", Dhandy's Chen-Doy, or Shandy, but the birthdate is a year earlier: February 22, 1976. While the breeding had the same sire and dam, they were not littermates.

By February 1981, Chucky was well on his way to fame, having amassed over a dozen Best In Show Wins and three National Specialty wins already. For Westminster, a group of about 30 Florida dog exhibitors gathered in a motel room to watch the cable showing. Most of the people couldn't watch at home as cable wasn't very widespread then. They had many different types of dogs, but by the time the final seven were being considered, Woodchuck had won the room over. When Langdon Skarda (Best In Show judge) pointed to Chucky for Best in Show, the room in the motel in Florida erupted in wild applause and cheers! Chucky was the "hometown" dog that made it in the big time! Sadly, the following year, Ch. Dhandy's Favorite Woodchuck died on the tarmac while being transferred on an airline flight flying back into Florida on June 21, 1982. Heat kills even the best of pugs.

Today the show record of Woodchuck is still considered one of the most outstanding of all Toy breeds. "Canine Chronicle" lists his show year of 1981 with 39 BIS, 71 Group I wins, and over 60,000 points as fourth on the all time winners list for Toy dogs. Considering that the other three above him are all recent winners, in the years 2000 and forward, his accomplishment is even more incredible.