‘Rock Star’ collie takes Westminster by storm
Co-owner and handler Robin Reed of Donegal Township competes at the Westminster Kennel Club show in New York with Grand Champion Pleasant Acre Creekwood Rock Star, also known as Rocky.
Mary Lee Shingle is shown with some of her collies at her Donegal Township kennel.
Rocky lived up to his name, showing the canine world at the Westminster Kennel Club Show in New York’s Madison Square Garden he is truly a rock star.
Grand Champion Pleasant Acre Creekwood Rock Star, a 2-year-old rough-coated collie, was named best in breed at the show Feb. 15 and moved on to compete in the nationally televised herding group. Rocky was bred by Mary Lee Shingle at her Pleasant Acre Collies in Donegal Township, just outside West Alexander. His co-owners are Shingle’s friend, Robin Reed of Blairstown, N.J., and her mother, Ginger Mehr of Jewett, Ohio. “I was thrilled, to say the least,” Shingle said of the win. “This was the first time one of my dogs has shown at Westminster.”
Shingle has been breeding and showing collies for 30 years, ever since falling in love with the breed as a young girl. She and a friend sold boxed Christmas cards one summer so they could each buy a collie.
“I’ve always loved rough collies,” said said.
She not only bred Rocky, but his mother and grandmother, as well as half brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews. But even as a puppy, Rocky stood out.
“He had an air about him ever since he was little,” Shingle said. “He has been amazing, even in his brief career.
“It is so fulfilling to see that promise he had as a puppy pan out,” she added. “And at such a young age.”
Reed, who handles Rocky in the show ring, said he certainly lived up to his name at Westminster.
“Rocky is the consummate rock star,” said Reed, who showed at Westminster for the second time after a trip last year. “He loves to be looked at.
“He is such a cool dog. I think he feeds off the energy in the crowd,” she added. “Rocky carries himself with the attitude in the ring – here I am, and this is my kingdom. He has such ring presence, it is like he is commanding a second look.”
Reed said she has started breeding Rocky. The four dogs in his first litter are now being shown, with two of them close to earning their championship classification. He also has puppies who are about 6 weeks old and are “just beautiful,” Reed added.
Rocky ended 2015 as the top rough collie in the country for both the Canine Chronicle and in the Hawkins standings. Next for Rocky is a trip later this month to the Collie Club of America National Specialty Show in Louisville, Ky., where he will be part of a Top 10 Invitational exhibition in addition to competing.
As for a return trip to Westminster, both Reed and Shingle said time will tell.