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Panda relaxes next to his trainer, Stacy Pagel. They will head to New York next week for the Westminster Dog Show.
A judge gets a good look at Panda during a recent dog show.
That’s a good thing, because the 180-pound St. Bernard will trot before his biggest audience in less than two weeks.
Panda, accompanied by his trainer, Stacy Pagel, will put his best paws forward before the judges at the Westminster Dog Show. It will be held at Lyndhurst National Historic Trust site in Tarrytown, New York.
The show runs June 18-22, and Panda enters the competition as the No. 1 ranked St. Bernard.
Unlike the 2021 competition, which had no spectators due to COVID-19, the 2022 show will have a live audience.
That suits Panda just fine.
“He’s pumped,” Pagel said. “He loves the attention. He loves the people who clap.”
Panda turned two years old April 29. He was bred by Pagel’s mother, Pamela Brandau, and has competed in dog shows since he was six months old.
This year, Pagel has taken Panda on the road 11 straight weekends, including a major competition in Orlando, where Panda was Best in Breed. Panda is scheduled to compete this weekend at Grays Lake, Illinois.
The family’s affinity for St. Bernards traces back nearly five decades.
“I was a crazy 16-year-old who saw a St. Bernard with a litter of puppies at a show in McCormick Place in Chicago,” Brandau recalled.
She wanted to bring a St. Bernard home, but her mother didn’t a want dog that size in the house.
“My mom said, ‘You can have one when you get married,’” Brandau said.
Brandau got her wish when she and her husband, Steve, found the perfect place to own and nurture the breed. They own 52 acres in rural Kendall, which gives the eight St. Bernards they currently own (including Panda’s parents) lots of room to roam.
St. Bernards are classified as working dogs and were once trained for alpine rescues. The breed evolved into a good-natured animal that’s very comfortable in social settings.
“I like their temperament,” Brandau said. “They’re very gentle. They’re good with kids. They’re just happy to lie down at your feet.”
Pagel added, “They love kids. They’re great family dogs.” She said Panda fits the profile of a St. Bernard.
“Around the home, he’s pretty goofy, pretty chill,” Pagel said. “He doesn’t like it when I ignore him.”
Pagel said Panda travels well and actually likes grooming and baths. She said bathing can take up to five hours but is critical for a breed that’s known for its drooling. Part of the grooming process includes a bib and pants that Panda regularly wears that keeps his fur white.
“He loves the pampering,” Pagel said.
Brandau said judges will be looking for a dog with alert eyes, sturdy hips, fluid movement and an even temperament. She said Panda has a large and proportionate head that judges notice.
“He’s a total package,” she said.
While the family has been raising St. Bernards for decades, it started entering dogs in competition just five years ago. Brandau and Pagel, who lives in Sparta, attend competitions together while their families take care of the other dogs back home. They travel in a van called the “Panda Express.”
“We couldn’t do this without the entire family’s support,” Brandau said.
Pagel looks forward to showing Panda on dog showing’s biggest stage.
“It’s really cool to compete with the top dogs that are going to be there,” she said. “Westminster is the Super Bowl of dog shows.”
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La Crosse Tribune reporter Steve Rundio can be reached at steve.rundio@lee.net.
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Steve Rundio is editor of the Tomah Journal. Contact him at 608-374-7785.
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Panda relaxes next to his trainer, Stacy Pagel. They will head to New York next week for the Westminster Dog Show.
A judge gets a good look at Panda during a recent dog show.
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