“She is just the picture of elegance,” said judge Karen Wilson last year when GCH Foxcliffe Claire Randall Fraser, aka Claire, won Best in Show. Which makes sense considering Claire’s genes. Her mom won second place in 2015 at The National Dog Show and her grandmother won Best in Show in 2011 at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York. Kind of a powerhouse family.
Beyond that, Claire’s got great owners and a terrific handler. Cecilia Dove, Robert S. Dove, DVM, and Angela Lloyd co-own Claire and several other pups. Ms. Lloyd acts as Claire’s handler. She’s been working with the same Scottish Deerhound bloodline for 13 years, so she understands the breed inside and out. Ms. Lloyd says her dogs’ happiness and health always come first. “I don’t think about [winning again],” she says. “I was thinking more about keeping her happy, getting a really good performance out of her and just having a good time.”
On a typical day at home in Flint Hill, Virginia, Angela says Claire gets up early and immediately wants to exercise. “She goes for a run, which is probably across 56 acres or so with a river that runs through it, so it’s a big jaunt for her and her kennel mates. We do that every day.” After Claire’s morning run, she has a big breakfast and an even bigger snooze, before heading outside again in the afternoon.