Drama at Westminster Dog Show: Here’s the Real Reason Colton the Schipperke Was Disqualified

Scandal at the Westminster Dog Show? You can bet we’re spilling the tea.

All seemed well for Colton, a schipperke from Howell, Michigan, as the final night of the American Kennel Club’s annual dog competition went down. He had just taken the top prize in the non-sporting group a night before.

But mere minutes into the final night, announcers revealed that Colton and his handler had been ruled ineligible and would have to leave the ring before the prestigious Best in Show competition.

You can rest assured, though, that it had nothing to do with Colton per se, but rather a conflict of interest between his owners and the judge. Apparently, one of his owners had a “distant working relationship” with the night’s Best in Show judge, Peter Green.

Colton’s handler, Christina Cook, cleared the air on Facebook: “We never had any expectation of winning the Non-Sporting Group as no Schipperke in history has ever won the Group at this show and we focused solely on creating a spectacular performance in the breed-level competition! […] This is the crown jewel of the dog show world and one of the great competitive showcases in all of sports. We do not wish to diminish or detract from this great event, in this amazing venue, on this very special evening, therefore we will not participate in this evening’s Best In Show to avoid any appearance of impropriety.”

Colton, you’re still a class act in our eyes…or as your fans would say, small, dark and handsome.