Eiffel's Big Trip to Westminster: "He Always Amazes Me"

Michele and her Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Eiffel, have been dreaming of Westminster Dog Show since he came into her life 4 years ago, and Michele has been wanting to make the trip since she started watching the show as a little girl. They got their chance this year, and Eiffel was set to compete in the show. But after Guilford was blasted by Blizzard 2013, that dream began to slip away, as dog and owner were trapped in three feet of snow in their home, and now hopes of a plow. 

"I was literally in tears all weekend," Michele told Guilford Patch. "We were trying all of our options, and nothing was working." Refusing to give up, Eiffel's handler/breeder drove to Michele's driveway on Monday, and Michele's husband, Scott, carried Eiffel down their 1/4 mile driveway in three feet of snow.

"Eiffel never moved a muscle all that way down the driveway," Michele shared. "He never gets carried so this was new for him, plus all the snow didn't make it a smooth ride, and he just totally trusted my husband. Eiffel always amazes me."

But things had to get a little worse before they got better again. "The ride was horrible," Michele said. "There was dense fog, a jackknifed tractor trailer on the highway; the whole ride took us over 6 hours in total."

But once they arrived, things started looking up. "Hotel Pennsylvania was phenomenal," Michele said. "They really had the place set to accommodate all the dogs. There was a 'Pet Salon and Spa,' special treadmills designed specifically for the dogs since you could really get them outside to exercise because of the snow."

In the morning, Michele, Eiffel, and Eiffel's breeder/handler Yenna took the shuttle buses down to the piers where they waited in benching areas for their group.

"The Soft Coated Wheaten ring had a lot of people around it," Michele continued. "I think there ended up being 13 entries, which is big." Eiffel didn't end up taking home the prize, but he put on a great show. 

"What was so fun was that Eiffel had a huge fan base there thanks to the story coming out," she said. "People kept coming over and talking to us, even the Wheaten group winner was directing fans towards us, and we also got to meet a woman who owned one of Eiffel's puppies."

"After the group showing we heading over to Madison Square Garden for the big final events, which was so exciting," continued Michele. "I've been watching this show since I was a kid so it was just awesome to be there. The place was packed and everyone was getting into it, doing the wave and everything."

"The Affenpinscher that won, was just beautiful," she added. "And I know his handler, Ernesto, he is such a nice guy. Every last one of them was beautiful, they truly were the cream of the crop."

"Even though we didn't win, I was really thrilled," Michele said. "Maybe I was disappointed for about 5 minutes. But, I would rather have gone and not win than never known what would of happened. And the support was overwhelming; he would have won the popularity contest."

What's up next for Eiffel? He's going to be enjoying retirement for a little while. "He's going to be four years old soon and he's been doing this since he was 6 months," Michele shared. "He's ready to be a dad again and he's ready for a haircut. He loves swimming, so I'm going to cut his hair and let him really enjoy the water."