Miss P wowed judges during the Westminster Kennel Club competition at Madison Square Gardens in New York earlier this week.
Image Credit: (Mary Altaffer/Associated Press)
February 20, 2015 - 11:15 AM
ENDERBY - A small North Okanagan community might have to change its name to Enderbeagle in honour of its latest celebrity—a beagle named Miss P.
Miss P (for Peyton) is being celebrated worldwide as this year’s best in show after a surprise win at the Westminster Kennel Club in New York Tuesday. Four-year-old Miss P and her mother-daughter duo owners, Lori and Kaitlyn Crandlemire, hail from Enderby. Local mayor Greg McCune says Miss P is literally the talk of the town.
“It’s been incredibly amazing. I’ve talked to people in just about every country of the world. I think the beagle is outdoing Sir Anthony Hopkins,” McCune says, referring to the actor’s recent visit to the city. “We’ve had people joking about changing the name of the city to Enderbeagle.”
One of McCune’s favourite calls was from a London woman who wanted to know more about the area.
“I said, well, we’re at the top of the world famous Okanagan Valley, we’ve got farming, wineries, orchards—and she says, ‘Are there beagles just running around everywhere?’ I don’t know what she thought we were all about,” McCune says with a laugh.
Miss P has been on a buys circuit since her big win, appearing on morning TV shows, having a steak lunch served on a silver platter at a high-end Manhattan restaurant, and reportedly meeting with Donald Trump. When she returns home, McCune says she’ll be invited to partake in local events, like the Canada Day parade.
Miss P has certainly put Enderby on the map, and while McCune believes the exciting news is a boon for the city, he says the overriding emotion in town is pride.
“These people have had success at the highest level, and the coolest thing to me is when people follow their dream,” McCune says.
It’s believed Miss P will now be retiring from the competition circuit.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015