First things first, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!”  Hope you are all enjoying your long Fourth of July Holiday Weekend. I just can’t believe we are in July already!!

**FYI the following introduction and background was copied and pasted with some modification from last week’s Photo of the Week, it sets up this week’s article!**

Two weeks ago, (meaning June 20^th, 21^st, 22^nd) Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, while flipping channels watching television, I came across a program showing the 2022 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, a live broadcast.  I immediately decided this would be my next Photo of the Week article! This is a major, world famous event which has some interesting connections to Allamuchy Township right here in Warren County.

The Westminster Kennel Club, established in 1877, is America’s oldest organization dedicated to the sport of dogs.  It hosts the iconic, all-breed Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the second-longest, continuously held sporting event in the U.S. and since 1948, the longest nationally televised live dog show. If you are wondering, “What is the longest continuously held sporting event in the U.S.?”  Answer – The Kentucky Derby.  During Westminster Week, even the Empire State Building partakes in the celebration by lighting up in purple and yellow – which are the official colors of the Westminster Dog Show. The highlight of the show is the naming of the dog that wins Best in Show at Westminster. This year, 2022, the 146^th showing of the dog show, the winner was Trumpet the Bloodhound. **This is where I connect the dots from Westminster to Allamuchy. 

As of 2022, the most successful dog to win Best in Show at Westminster was a Smooth Fox Terrier named WARREN REMEDY.  She was the first winner of Best in Show AND the only dog to have won it on three occasions! OK I’m all set to write up this article, just need to get up to Rutherfurd Hall and take a photo and check with my friend, Joan Salvas, Rutherfurd Hall Historian and I should be all set!!  Unfortunately, my back physically went out Wednesday, and a few other issues popped up so I couldn’t get up to Rutherfurd Hall and that was when Plan B mentioned above became last week’s Photo of the Week.  I will leave you a hint on the connection to Allamuchy – Rutherfurd Hall! To get the rest of the story look for my next Photo of the Week article. 

AND NOW WE ARE AT ‘NEXT WEEK’

Last Wednesday I went to Rutherfurd Hall to get some information and photos to complete this article.  Took several photos through the glass shelving which included two short articles about Winthrop Rutherfurd and his famous kennel.  The information there was credited to the (Fox Terrier Club of America)

Next took some photos of “old photos” being displayed showing Winthrop sitting with one of his dogs on his lap and another depicting another champion dog. 

I then spoke with Joan Salvas, Rutherfurd Hall’s Historian, requesting a link to a movie short about Warren Remedy and her (Warren Remedy) winning the honors of Best in Show three years in a row!  Joan advised that movie clip is on the Rutherfurd Hall website.  I then looked at the display of old postcards showing various images of the Rutherfurd and Stuyvesant Estates.  What I was interested in was the post card showing the original buildings of the dog kennel. All the kennel buildings were destroyed when Rt. 80 came through, but, I downloaded the image from the Allamuchy Historical Society’s Post Card Collection.  NOTE – Checked the post mark on the postcard: July 1908. I believe I am all set!

A LITTLE HISTORY

These two articles were provided by the Fox Terrier Club of America. I copied the info from photos of the articles.

**Winthrop Rutherfurd and his brother Lewis Morris, Jr. initiated the family’s breeding of Smooth Hair Fox Terrier dogs in the late 1800’s.  Winthrop and Lewis owned the “Rutherfurd Kennels” on a section of this estate demolished by the building of Rt. 80.  Smooth Fox Terriers, imported from Scotland, “Provided strong foundation stock for the early kennels in the U.S., which led to an abundance of quality strains of American-bred dogs for the show ring.  The oldest of these, The Warren Kennel, produced generations of award winning dogs”**

**The Sabine and Warren Kennels dominated the Westminster Dog Show in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. While Sabine had more champions, Warren Remedy, Warren Kennel’s famous Smooth Fox Terrier, was one of the best breed specimens of that era and won the Westminster Show for three consecutive years (1907, 1908, 1909) which had never been accomplished to date, nor since. The Rutherfurd brothers were the first to formally breed this dog in the United States, but the Fox Terrier’s ancestors had been in service throughout the British Isles for centuries, as fox and vermin hunters.**

Here’s a link to film clip talking about Warren Remedy, 3 time winner of the Westminster Dog Show, Winthrop Rutherfurd socialite and the Westminster Kennel Club and Dog Show  – https://rutherfurdhall.org/museum-tours/.  When you open this page activate the picture of a dog!  This is an interesting, enjoyable and fun piece.

Link to Westminster Kennel Club 2022 – https://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/photo-gallery/2022-photo-gallery/2022-best-in-show-winner

Link to Rutherfurd Hall – https://rutherfurdhall.org/

Certainly hope you enjoyed learning about how Rutherfurd Hall played an important role in this world class sporting event, the Westminster Kennel Club and its annual Dog Show held every year! We are opening up for tours again at Rutherfurd along with many more exciting activities and events so stay tuned. If you get a chance to stop by tell them Charlie sent you! Hope to see you there on Wednesdays!

Enjoy Your Open Space

Charlie Fineran   

Director Open Space    

Allamuchy Township Environmental Commission – Chairman  

Allamuchy Historical Society – President