Meet the Brad Pitt of English bulldogs; Abilene dog show continues today

What: Annual Abilene Kennel Club Dog Show

When: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. today

Admission: Free

Where: Taylor County Coliseum with obedience and rally events presented in the Display Building

Eric J. Shelton/Reporter-News Emily Scott (left) and Hope Menken pet Sitka, an Alaskan malamute, during the Abilene Kennel Club Dogs Show at the Taylor County Colliseum and Display Building on Saturday.

Eric J. Shelton/Reporter-News Mona, a Boston terrier, waits to compete in the Abilene Kennel Club Dog Show at the Taylor County Colliseum and Display Building on Saturday.

As far as English bulldogs go, D.V. is the Brad Pitt of his breed.

On Saturday, D.V. (for Double Vision) won best of breed at the Abilene Kennel Club Dog Show at the Taylor County Coliseum, the second straight day he won the contest. On Saturday, he beat out 19 other bulldogs. He'll compete again today as the three-day show concludes.

D.V. is probably a good bet to sweep all three events.

"He's ranked sixth in the country," said his owner, Landon Jordan of Mansfield.

On Friday, D.V. not only won his breed, but he also won his group, nonsporting, and competed for best of show.

The way the show is set up, each d! ay is it s own contest. If a dog wins its breed category, it advances into a competition with dogs in the same group. There are seven groups sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, nonsporting and herding. The winners from each group advance into a third competition where they compete for best of show. On Saturday, more than 700 dogs were competing in more than 100 breeds.

Just being the best dog entered in a particular breed doesn't mean it will win best of breed, said show chairman Mary-Jane DeWitt, whose husband, Mike, was showing their 2-year-old Boston terrier, Anna, later Saturday morning.

"Judges have standards they're looking for," she said. "If there isn't a dog in the breed that meets those standards, there won't be a winner."

D.V., who was shown by Brian Livingston of Dallas, had no problems meeting the criteria. The 2-year-old is the right weight, about 50 pounds, and has the narrow back hips the judges are looking for. His coat is immaculate.

And, on top of the good looks, D.V. is a joy to be around, said his owner.

"Their temperament is really cool," said Jordan of bulldogs. "They love to just lay back. They'll play hard for about 30 seconds, and then they're through for the day. They're just lovable animals."

While D.V. enjoys a tranquil lifestyle back home, he adjusts to the rigors of a dog show just fine. In fact, Jordan thinks he rather enjoys it.

"Bulldogs need to stay cool, so we'll keep him under the AC and give him about four baths a day," he said. "Yeah, he likes it. He likes showing."

Not all dogs go for showing off.

"There are some dogs who don't like it," said Jordan. "They'll misbehave in the ring. So you don't show them. If the dogs don't like to do it, you don't want to force them."

As for D.V.'s name, it has nothing to do with vision impairment.

"His breeder named him that," said Jordan. "He looked just like one of his brothers."