NEW YORK — From the silky strut of Afghan hounds to poodles with coats sculpted like confections, the Westminster Kennel Club’s green carpet spotlights manicured, pedigreed canines vying to be deemed top dog. But they aren’t just for show.
Ghost, a Norwegian buhund that competed Sunday at the nation’s premier canine event, makes weekly rounds as a therapy dog at a Delaware hospital and serves as a nonjudgmental listener for schoolkids learning to read. Lacey, a Labrador retriever that was entered in Westminster’s agility contest Saturday, puts in 50-hour weeks comforting patients at her owner’s child and adolescent psychiatry practice in California.
Steve, a German wirehaired pointer, showed at Westminster last year and represented his breed before millions of Thanksgiving Day TV viewers at the National Dog Show in Philadelphia in 2018. But he also wears other hats. Or collars, actually.
“He can transition from being a pretty show dog to throwing on his vest on the same day … and do service dog stuff,” says owner Shenandoah Ellis-Ulmer, a r etired Air Force master sergeant .
Steve helps her navigate public places with post-traumatic stress disorder by sensing when she’s getting anxious and standing on her feet, grounding her emotionally. He’s also an ace bird-hunting dog for her husband and fellow Air Force vet, Michael Ulmer.
