A big dog in the Big Apple; Imbler Teacher Annika Evans and Medley earn Award of Merit at Westminster Dog Show
By Garrett Christensen on Wednesday, March 11th, 2026 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
IMBLER – In October 2025, Imbler Science Teacher Annika Evans received the news that every professional dog handler and breeder want to hear. Her 3rd generation Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Medley, had officially been invited to the Westminster Dog Show. One of only five such dogs of her breed invited for this year’s show, and the only female dog of her breed as well, Medley and Evans attended Westminster from January 30 through February 3. Elkhorn Media Group recently caught up with Evans for a follow up interview about the pair’s experience at Westminster.
According to Evans, the atmosphere surrounding Westminster was prestigious yet somewhat lowkey despite the size of the show. On one hand, the Empire State Building had been lit up in Westminster colors. On the other hand, the venue itself wasn’t particularly crowded or overwhelming despite thousands of people passing through, and dogs of all shapes and sizes being groomed and prepped on the ringside. As Evans remarked:
“You realize how big of a deal it is, but when you’re in the ring, you don’t think about that kind of thing because then you’re doing what you always do. You’re kind of in the zone, but it was definitely a little nerve-wracking.”
There were some other issues to contend with beyond the hustle and bustle of the dog show. Brant Park, which Evans had hoped would be a suitable dog park near their hotel, had been converted into an ice-skating rink for the season.
New York, unlike Eastern Oregon, was actually experiencing a proper winter, one of the coldest on record in fact. With temperatures dropping well into the negatives during the first few days, and the streets filled with salt to combat ice, Medley’s poor paws began to get sore during their walks. With no animal boots on hand that would fit a dog Medley’s size,
Evan’s temporary solution was to wrap her companion’s feet in socks during the coldest days, which may or may not have caused some passersby to think the pair were advertising for Nike.
That said, Medley’s peculiar footwear was far from the only reason she stood out. According to Evans, plenty of guests at the hotel they were staying at were there to watch the dog show and ended up delighted to meet one of the Westminster Dogs in person. As Evans Reflected:
“When we walked out with Medley, everyone wanted to say hi to her and was super excited when they heard that she was competing at Westminster. It just kind of gave you good vibes. Everyone was excited and it made you excited about it. It was even more special that I had my dog there and was competing when I saw all those people being super excited, meeting her and knowing that she was competing.”
Other locals were simply surprised to see so many larger breed dogs in the usually confined urban spaces of New York surrounding Madison Square Garden. At one point, Evans and several other handlers met in Times Square, bringing together four or five Swiss Mountain Dogs, which she remarked, “was a lot of fun, just having them all there, taking pictures together and having that community.”
Beyond Medley gathering something of a local fan base, the actual show went very well. Medley performed as part of the working group on Tuesday, February 3rd. According to Evans, Medley was judged a lot better than she expected, even getting a placement and an Award of Merit (the rough equivalent of third place in a traditional athletics competition) by the judges. While a male Swiss Mountain Dog ended up winning, which Evans expected, it still made for a special experience that was more than worth attending for.
Making it more special, some of Evans’ friends had also joined her and some of her family even flew in from Zurich, Switzerland, to attend. After Medley’s placement, the group stuck around to watch the best-in-show winners that evening to cap off the New York experience.
With Westminster now behind her, Evans isn’t quite sure what’s next in terms of dog showmanship and breeding. At the moment, she’s debating whether to show Medley for another year (possibly shooting for Westminster again but mostly to enjoy the competition), or to retire her from showmanship and breed her. The time investment and physical strain of breeding means Medley would likely never participate in showmanship again.
Aside from Medley, Evans has her 11th dog coming up, a one-year-old puppy named Spectra (as in the electromagnetic spectrum) that she’s hoping to begin showing more. While Medley is her nicest dog, Spectra is showing promise, already having finished a champion title at nine months old, though still isn’t quite competitive against older female dogs yet.
Whether or not Westminster happens again for her, and if it’s Medley, Spectra, or another one of her dogs standing in front of the judges, Evans reflected fondly on the experience and expressed that she would go again if invited. Further, she encourages other dog persons or dog showmanship fans to make the trek if they can, remarking:
“If you’re a dog person and you like dog showing, you definitely should make a trip there just to watch. It’s a great experience and seeing how many people come to see the dogs and have the same interest in dog showing…it’s pretty fun to have that whole group. Not everyone in New York knew about it, but most people we met either were there just to watch the show, had a dog there, or were excited about it. So, it definitely was a great experience.”
To learn more about Evans’ journey in dog showmanship, and some of the ins and outs of showmanship/breeding, see our previous article here: https://elkhornmediagroup.com/an-eastern-oregon-underdog-imbler-teacher-annika-evans-invited-to-the-westminster-dog-show/
